Flight of the Hummingbird
by Blubberbutt Chunkybap
Summary: Four months after the end of 'Bird Cloth', Nagayoshi moves on with her life. An event leads her to learn about her origins: her parents and her unknown part of her past. Kakuzu, however, blames himself for the many misfortunes his adoptive sister had to experience and has to deal with yet a new partner. WARNING: lots of gory violence, suggestive themes. Kisame/OC.
1. The Horses Carried It Away

_**Flight of the Hummingbird**_

**Chapter 1: The Horses Carried It Away**

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Sasori was famous for his ignorance, cold attitude, lack of expression, and impatience—most especially impatience. It was rare to see Sasori care about something—whether the term 'care' has positive or negative meaning. Usually, he would just go with the flow or reject the flow and have his own. However, in this fateful mid-April, Sasori was trapped in Akatsuki's bear trap of regulations. He wanted—no, he had to be working solo. But then Pain wouldn't let random members go on solo missions. He only let the most loyal, the most obedient, and the most friendly-assault-prone to go on solo missions. As far as he concerned, Sasori didn't fall into any of those categories.

Upon skimming on the data of his prospective partner, Sasori (without his Hiruko shield/ride) squinted at the orange-haired leader in utter disbelief. Pain showed signs of scowling as he and Sasori exchanged arguments through their eyes. Konan almost felt sorry for both the leader and Sasori. Pain had scanned through all potential S-ranked criminals that could be Sasori's partner, while the red-head had been proving his excellent performance that he won't need a partner. Each had worked hard and they won't let their uphill struggle go for nothing.

"Are you serious…?" Sasori croaked after fifteen long minutes of complete silence. One of his eyebrow rose up to his hairline as the other one pressed heavily on his eye.

Indifferent, Pain answered, "As serious as I can be. That is your new partner. I've worked all day and night just to find one that qualifies. Do you think it didn't go the same when I was searching for Hokko among my lists of S-ranks?"

"But this is ridiculous! You can't put me with this…guy! He's not even of age! He's just a kid!" Sasori continued complaining.

"Erai was a kid when he first joined in. Please don't tell me you're going to make an argument from my judgment and interest."

"Well, that's exactly what I'm gonna do, alright! You let Itachi and Erai join when they were kids because you simply like them! It's never about competence to you; it's always your interest! I understand if you can't accept Nagayoshi as a member already, but this is ridiculous! I'm not having a kid as a partner!" fierily Sasori seethed at the leader, with no fear of being flattened against the wall or worse, rocketing out from the tower by Pain's signature _Shinra Tensei_.

"I'm also assigning someone to accompany you in your travels to pick up your new partner." Pain moved on, ignoring Sasori's long and upset rants.

"Don't you listen to—" A thick sheet of paper wrapped tightly around his mouth, effectively shutting him up from further yelling. The red-head glared at the blue-haired woman standing behind him. Konan stared him sharply too.

"You may enter, Itachi." Pain called to the door. A few seconds later, the long-haired teenager stepped in. Quietly, he stood beside Sasori, looking as if he was ignoring the puppet master. "I'm sending the both of you to a small town outside Iwagakure. Just a week ago, the mayor of the town received a letter threatening to blow up the holy shrine of the town. I assume you can find Sasori's new partner there, so I suggest you to arrive there as soon as possible."

"Understood." Itachi replied. Sasori was still not given the chance to speak.

"You are dismissed. You too, Sasori. Our conversation is over. My decision is final." Pain said coldly, to which the red-headed puppet master can only grumble at. Nevertheless, Sasori obliged and bitterly walked out of the office, straight to his room to get Hiruko.

Itachi waited for Sasori outside his room, leaning against a dirty-white wall with his arms crossed. Unlike the puppet master, Itachi was fifty times more patient. Of course, he also has limits, but it was so rare for him to show his impatience that it was almost nonexistent. He soon spotted his partner, dressed without his red-clouded cloak but a black shirt, approaching him. Itachi returned a big wave given by Kisame with a small one. The tall blue man stopped before him and Itachi craned his head up to meet his eyes.

"So…you're going somewhere without me, eh, Itachi-san? Where to?" Kisame asked with his usual friendly manner.

"This some small town outside Iwa. I'm escorting Sasori to pick up his new partner." Itachi answered coolly, directing his eyes to the light ochre door with maroon frames beside him.

"Escorting?" Kisame snorted. He held down a burst of laughter wanting to come out from his mouth and shook his head in hopes it would calm him down. He spotted a very tiny smirk from his partner but he was too busy giggling about Sasori being escorted to comment about it. After calming down, he leaned his back against the same wall beside Itachi. "Do you know how his partner looks like? Or at least, the age, the gender, I dunno…"

"I don't see the picture exactly but from what I heard, it's a kid, boy. Probably about the same age as me or Nagayoshi."

"Pain-sama surely knows how to use the young and talented, doesn't he?" Kisame chuckled lightly.

Itachi smirked slightly. "Where's Nagayoshi, by the way? She's usually spotted hanging around with you when you're having a day off. But I don't see her with you now." the young Uchiha asked. He blinked when seeing Kisame sighed softly. He knew immediately something was off. "What is it?" he added.

"It's been four months but I think she hasn't gotten over it." Kisame answered. He ran his fingers on his spiky blue hair. "Kakuzu told me she often spaced out when she thought no one was watching and he said she put this sad eyes every time she does it. Hokko-san even added that she doesn't eat her apple as much as she used to."

"Now that's unusual."

"I know. I bet she feels so lonely ever since he's gone."

"Don't you?" Itachi asked Kisame.

"Well, the organization's been different since he's gone, but I still have you and the others to talk to."

"She has Kakuzu, Hokko, and you to talk to. What difference does that make?"

Kisame sighed again. "I don't know. Maybe because…she and Erai don't regard to each other as just friends. I guess that's what makes a difference."

"Or she just doesn't know how to overcome it. Go talk to her, Kisame." Itachi said.

Kisame silenced for a while, thinking about Itachi's words. He stood straight, his back no longer touching the wall. "You're right. I'll go and talk to her."

Itachi nodded. "She needs someone who knows how she's feeling. She needs someone who knows how it is like to lose a friend before."

Kisame turned to Itachi before he went; there was a somber smile from his face. It looked almost sarcastic to the raven-haired boy. "Wouldn't that be you, Itachi-san?" His statement brought Itachi into a realm of flashback that stunned his feet on where he was standing.

The door to Sasori's room swung open and if Kisame didn't stop it from swinging, it might have knocked Itachi on the nose. The raven-haired boy blinked to focus and saw Sasori in his hunchbacked armor. "C'mon…let's get going."

Itachi spoke nothing but followed the puppet master nonetheless. He looked back to Kisame who was making his way to find the young girl. He turned his head around and focused on his journey 'escorting' Sasori to the small town outside Iwagakure.

On his way to Kakuzu's room, Kisame stumbled upon Hokko who was heading to the same way. The cowboy ninja grinned at the blue swordsman. "Well, well, Kisame-san! Looking good, aren't you? Coming to see Nagayoshi-chan?"

Kisame nodded. "She's inside?"

"Yeah. She pretty much spent most of her time inside the room now. She only goes out for a quick meal and then back inside again." Hokko answered, his warm smile faded gradually into a wry one.

"Is she…okay?"

"You could say so. I think she misses a company. You guys haven't seen each other for the last four months, right, because of our schedules. Well, this might be the right time." Hokko's warm smile returned as his hand reached the door knob to Kakuzu's room. He opened the door and the two men entered. Inside, they found Kakuzu busily working the monthly accounting business and Nagayoshi lied around on the bed, her eyes directed to the rain-sprinkled window all the time.

Kakuzu heard someone was talking across his door and he knew it was his partner. When the hinges of the door creaked, he moved his head from the jumble of numbers in front of him to greet his partner. Hokko proved Kakuzu quite helpful not only in battlefield but in paperwork too. He may not do the summing and subtracting, but he sorted out the files neatly and orderly, something that took Kakuzu hours to finish before he could start counting down the numbers. Kakuzu's eyebrows lifted a little upon seeing Kisame's blue skin entered his room behind Hokko. He hadn't seen that guy for quite some time.

"Hokko, right on time. Help me sort out these files by date, will you? And, hello, Kisame." Kakuzu greeted the swordsman coolly.

On the bed, Nagayoshi who was staring at the window for the last few hours briskly turned her head around when she heard the name Kisame. Her eyes expanded slightly. Kisame grinned at her lightheartedly. "Long time no see, kid." he said.

Nagayoshi sat upright on the bed, looking and gaping up at her blue-skinned friend. "Kisame?" she muttered, as if disbelieving the view in front of her. After a moment, a big smile appeared on her face. "My, it's really you! You're right, long time no see!" she said cheerily.

Kisame was relieved that Nagayoshi didn't look as gloomy as he imagined she would be. Yet, another prospect caused the inclination of one of his eyebrows. While putting on a half-giggling half-confused face, Nagayoshi stared at Kisame's amazed look, wondering what the hell happened to this guy. With not much softness, Kisame grabbed a handful of her black hair and tried to lift her to his level. Nagayoshi yelped in both surprise and pain.

"OWOWOWOW! Kisame! What the hell are you doing? It hurts, goddammit! OWW!" Nagayoshi ranted heatedly, swinging her arms in hopes it would make Kisame let go of her hair. He did, but only changing his hand position from pulling on her hair into grabbing on both sides of her head.

Kisame turned to the annoyed Kakuzu half-alarmingly, still holding Nagayoshi's small head in his hands. "What the fuck happened to her? Her hair is practically twice as long as it used to be and it's even messier than yours!" He turned to Nagayoshi again, lifting her up again to his eye level. "Four months, kiddo, and you change THIS much!"

"So what?" Nagayoshi retorted, still projecting a little too much power on her voice. "You have grown to become much harsher than you used to be!"

"Hey, I'm just surprised that you suddenly look like an uncared Bichon Frisé after four months." Kisame cackled teasingly at the girl, ruffling her hair with much playfulness. The girl, however, wasn't too amused with his treatment.

"Her hair is always like that." Kakuzu interjected. "Never neat, always messy and flea-infested."

"It is not!" Nagayoshi snapped at her brother. She nearly lunged herself at him if it weren't for Kisame holding her back.

"Take her out while you're here." Kakuzu said, returning to his paperwork. "I'm busy."

"Okey dokey!" Kisame gladly obliged and hauled the girl over one shoulder. He ignored her yelling and hitting on his back as he headed outside.

"Wait! Kisame, where are you taking me? I don't wanna go outside! Let me go! Oniisan, how could you do this to me? Oniisan!"

The door abruptly closed as the two exited the room. Hokko rested against the door and whistled in relief together with Kakuzu sighing in the same manner. He smirked and walked back to the piles of paper he had to sort out. "Finally, a nice peace and quiet, eh?" he said. He looked to his partner and to his surprise, Kakuzu hadn't continued working. His eyes may direct towards the paper, but not his mind. "Kakuzu-san?"

"Nothing, Hokko. I just hope Kisame could cheer her up. It's something I failed to do." Kakuzu replied. His wrist then moved, indicating that he had resumed.

"Sooner or later, the girl will have to learn. Her stubbornness just slows her down." Hokko spoke as he scanned for the date of each report and stack the ones with the same date. He added, "I might have no idea what happened to her in her past, but I'm pretty sure she haven't got that much experience of death. And I don't mean killing. Even if she had seen death of someone close to her before, it had to be very early in her past."

Kakuzu's wrist stopped once again. He put his head in his hand, leaning against it. His lost of focus on his work caused his writing hand to tap the pencil he was holding against a mug on the far front of the paper. "She did once experience the same thing. Only that time, I unknowingly cured her wounds."

**|-oOo-|**

Kisame never imagined that this girl could turn into an ever-hitting devil. He had endured numerous punches on his back and even a turbo-poke on his butt crack (which, by far, was the most painful non-offensive attack he had ever received). Despite that, Kisame managed to 'kidnap' her out of the base and to a meadow on top of the cave where the giant boulder with seal sat. He hauled her down, making her squeak at his abrasive handling. Nagayoshi fell butt first to the grassy grounds of the meadow. Her eyes were wide with shock and her rebellion stopped as she looked up to her friend whose shadow loomed over her.

Kisame rubbed his back and his butt crack, wincing to the sting she created during their way there. "Dammit, kid." he grunted. "That fucking hurt…"

Nagayoshi scowled and her face turned red upon remembering that one thing she did to his body. She threw her face away. "Sorry…" she croaked meekly. "…was only trying to get away."

"Nah, don't sweat it." Kisame replied, sitting beside the girl and facing the slowly rushing river way below them. "I still don't understand why do you have to detach yourself so much from us—your family and friends." he added. At which point, he felt the drop of aura from the girl. It made him feel guilty for asking. He watched those obsidian eyes sorrowfully eyed the running water below. Probably it would only take another few minutes until water came out of her eyes. With much gentleness, Kisame flew his muscular arms towards her and landed his large blue hand on her shoulder.

Nagayoshi turned to him and forced a smile. However, it didn't turn to look as sincere as it intended to be. "I didn't mean to ignore you guys." she said. "But…you know…I just felt incomplete. Like something doesn't feel right and I can't get it off my chest."

"I understand how you feel, Nagayoshi. Everybody in this organization does. Only we came to learn to forget that sadness and move on." Kisame said softly, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly.

"How could you do that?" Nagayoshi objected, almost shouting too loud in the process. Kisame jerked back due to her unexpected retort. He wondered what wrong he had done this time, thus he blinked. "Aren't they precious to you? If they are, how could you forget them? Who's gonna remember them if not you?"

Kisame sighed and ran his other hand in his hair. "Nagayoshi…Nagayoshi…damn, you are one _SLOW_ little kid, aren't you?" he murmured, almost chuckling to himself. "We forget them so we can continue to live the life we're in. Of course, we won't completely forget them. We only erase the sadness and hold the memories close. When we think about them, we don't remember the sad times. We remember the good times we had together. Anyway…" Kisame moved his hand from her shoulder to her head, messing the already unkempt shoulder-length hair, "do you really think Erai will forgive you if you keep on mourning him and forget your duties in life? Do you think he'd like to see you, the only girl he loved in this world with all his heart, sad all the time?"

A smile bloomed on her face. "Thank you, Kisame." A small droplet lingered on the corner of her right eye. She quickly wiped it off her eyes before it dropped. "You're right. He didn't love me because I cry all the time."

Kisame smiled after her. He ruffled her hair, making it even more untidy. He chuckled hearing her giggles escaped her mouth freely and lightly. He watched her stood; his wrist was in her small hands as she tugged at it. He stared up at her in wonder. She seemed like she was up to something, but it wasn't anything overly suspicious.

"Kisame, come with me to the town for a while, will you?" Nagayoshi requested. Her smile grew. She had returned to her normal self.

The blue swordsman smiled back and stood up. "What is it? You're not asking me to carry _your_ groceries, are you?" he asked.

"That too, but that's not the reason."

Kisame chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh well, alright. Just because I'm being kind to you today. But don't expect me to pay all of them, okay?"

"Yaaaaaay!" Nagayoshi cheered, clinging to Kisame's arm gleefully. "Don't worry. I'll use my own money."

**|-oOo-|**

Kisame watched the light green paper container of a commercial cupped ice cream as it was placed before a stone with a Hiragana writing on it. He watched with a smile on his face as Nagayoshi clasped both of her hands in a praying position. She then embraced the stone softly and whispered words to it. Kisame couldn't catch most of the words, but he heard her said the words 'sorry', 'realize', 'cry', and 'appreciate'. From those words, who could guess what she was saying to the tombstone and a warmer smile was born from the thought.

Before long, Nagayoshi had stood up. She nodded and the swordsman nodded back, picking up the paper bag filled with a few sorts of apples. The two close friends walked back inside the base, where they planned to clean up Erai's room before the new member arrived.

The room had been in the same state ever since the former owner left it: sheets crumbled, blanket jumbled in the middle of bed, trash piled in the bin, and a book about musical instruments lay down with its cover facing the floor beneath the bed. Erai's room has no nightstand. One side of the bed touched the wall and the wardrobe stood tall and large behind the headrest. A desk was just a three meters across the bed and wardrobe. It was the least messy furniture of the room. Erai seemed to never use that desk; only as a place to place his books about science of sound and musical studies.

The first thing done to the empty room was the bed. Nagayoshi and Kisame made the bed together; changing the bed sheet, folded and stored the winter blanket inside the wardrobe on the top shelf, replacing it with a lighter cotton brown and yellow bed cover. Then they sorted out the late Akatsuki's belongings. They decided to discard most of the books, since none of them would use it anyway. They also planned to discard most of Erai's clothes and hand them to Hokko so he could give them to the foster kids back in his fortress of children. All of them, but one.

It was on the corner of the wardrobe, hanging heavily on a coat hanger. Kisame picked it out and chuckled as he saw the shape and feature of the clothing. It was Akatsuki's uniform cloak—the spare one, complete with the red clouds, and it was too small to be worn by anybody else in the headquarters. "I can't believe how tiny he was! Look at this, Nagayoshi! A ten year old could actually wear this for Halloween!"

Nagayoshi shook her head and chuckled with the blue man. "Don't be silly, Kisame. He may be eight or ten centimeters shorter than me, but he's only a couple of years younger than you."

Kisame chuckled. He removed the cloak from the hanger and tossed it to the pile of discarded-to-be clothes. As soon as it landed, it was picked up again. Only this time, it was by a different pair of hands. Kisame raised one eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked the girl.

"We can't just throw it away like that!" Nagayoshi protested, holding the cloak close to her chest.

"You're not gonna wear it for Halloween, aren't you?"

"No!" Nagayoshi answered with scoff.

"Then why are you keeping it? It won't fit your body and I'm pretty sure Pain-sama ain't wanna see you wearing it while you're not yet a member."

"I'm not gonna wear it either. I just…wanna keep it. I'll keep it as a reminder of him. Just like how statues were built in the name of famous people or animals." Nagayoshi answered beamingly. "Please, can I?"

Kisame grimaced and sighed. He nodded hurriedly a second later. "Okay, fine. You can have it."

"Hurray! Thanks, Kisame!" Nagayoshi cheered. With skillful hands, she folded the cloak neatly and put it behind her as she proceeded to fold the other clothes and stack them. While she was turning a pair of shorts, she asked her tall friend, "What do you usually do to the cloaks of dead members?"

Sitting down to help Nagayoshi folding and stacking old clothes, Kisame answered, "Well, we usually burn them with the corpse so it erases evidence that our organization exists. If the member has spare ones—like Erai does—we usually burn it too."

"But what if a member was caught by…I dunno…another secret society, maybe? What are you going to do?"

"It's either we help him/her escape and kill everyone from the enemy's side or…we prepare for battle. So far, although we had been discovered by some groups of thugs, they never expose us to the public. And there's no way we'll expose ourselves. At least…until we make contact with the five big villages."

"Have you?"

Kisame stared at the girl and a smirk grew on his lips. "I think we had. Your brother had. And you were there with him at the time."

Nagayoshi pouted and scratched her cheek uncomfortably. "Uh-huh…well…yeah. But I don't think they had shared it with the other villages."

Kisame chuckled. "Good for you, then. Actually, I know one village that agreed to use our service and the request had just been sent to us not too long ago. Iwagakure has decided to hire our guys. Probably, that's why Pain-sama chose the newest member to be of Iwa origin."

"The new guy is from Iwa?"

Kisame nodded. "Itachi-san told me earlier. He said he's a kid, maybe around your age."

"Really?"

The blue man nodded again. He stood and walked outside to find a box to put all the clothes in. Nagayoshi was left there with all the clothes stacked neatly in front of her. She stared out at the rain-soaked window with blank eyes. She couldn't tell what she was feeling at that moment. On one side, she was excited to meet this new member, especially knowing that he and she were of the same age group. However, as she flew her gaze around the room, there was a slight disapproval. She couldn't let whoever that guy sleeps in that very room.

_But who am I to decide that?_ her inner mind rebelled against her own negative thoughts. She may have the right to speak, but she has no right to decide where someone can or cannot sleep. _I'm just a subordinate, anyways; _she added silently, _I have the least power to tell people around. _Her eyes returned to the small-sized Akatsuki cloak and Kisame's earlier words echoed in her head. She closed her eyes slowly and sighed, finally surrendering to the fate.

**|-oOo-|**

With a powerful tow, Kisame unrolled the transparent tape. He carefully wrapped the sticky side of the tape over the opening of the cardboard box filled with Erai's old clothes. He tossed the thick ring of rolled adhesive plastic sheets over to Nagayoshi who performed the same task with the box filled with Erai's personal belongings like books and collections of musical instrument miniatures. The XS-sized cloak was tucked in with all of Nagayoshi's clothes back in Kakuzu's room.

A question still stuck to her mind. "What are we going to do with the books? Burn it?"

"Nope. Yesterday, Hokko asked me to hand the books and belongings to him too. Looks like he could use a lot of donations for his safe haven, huh?"

"Yeah. The kids could use some new stuff—though, these things aren't really new."

"They'll be thrilled." Kisame smiled warmly to the girl. He tilted his head and looked to the box with books and stuffs. "You think you can carry that on your own?" he asked to Nagayoshi.

"Kisame, please," Nagayoshi scoffed, "I was trained by Akatsuki's strongest fighter. This thing…weighs nothing…!" she heaved as she spoke. Truthfully, the box was quite heavy. The thick books made it heavy. Yet, she wasn't going to let Kisame know about her struggle.

Kisame chuckled, stealing the box from her small hands. "Carry that one." he said, nodding to the clothes box. He ignored her scowling at him and walked out the door. Nagayoshi sighed and lifted the other box. It was much lighter than the other box and she could lift it with ease. She hurriedly followed Kisame, who was waiting for her by the door to the long entrance tunnel. The two walked out of the base towards a spot of greenery where Hokko and his flame-horse-drawn carriage were waiting for them.

"Thanks a lot, you two. The kids will be happy to get these." Hokko said warmly, watching Kisame and Nagayoshi loaded his carriage with the box. "'Kay, then. I'll be goin'!"

"Oh, Hokko-san!" Nagayoshi interjected before Hokko commanded his horses to march. "Tell Tera I said 'Hi!'"

Hokko grinned. "Will do, kiddo." He turned his gaze to the front and whisked the leash, yelling, "Hiyah!"

As the carriage went by, Nagayoshi waved Hokko goodbye. The two friends watched the horse-powered carriage until the trunks of the trees ahead covered its equally wooden features. Kisame put his hand on Nagayoshi's shoulder and she smiled up at him. "Feeling better?" Kisame asked.

Nagayoshi nodded. "It feels weird though. I mean, I'm seeing Erai's stuffs carried away and the chance of seeing them again is very small—but I feel so…so…"

"Relieved?"

Her smile widened. "Yeah."

"Great!" Kisame grinned and she grinned back. The two then went back to the secret entrance to Akatsuki's base. They arrived by the small cliff that stood before a stream of river, a red Shinto gate, and the faux entrance. They hopped down, landing unharmed on top of the water's surface. The fish beneath their soles swam away in a jolt.

When they walked to the entrance, their eyebrows skewed as the secret door slid close. Somebody had just got back and entered the base. The two looked at each other and the realization kicked their head mercilessly. In a slight hurry, Kisame pressed his ring to an appearing hole, sliding the secret door open again.

They didn't run, but they were hurrying to catch up to the recently entered members, as if they were trespassers. They knew it couldn't be trespassers, because if it were, the leader will be noticed by an alarm and he himself will come out and kill the living daylight out of that trespasser, regardless of their gender or age. They knew the new member could possibly be among of the newcomers, which must be Sasori and Itachi.

_They come back fast. _Kisame thought as he made large strides towards the end of the long tunnel.

Finally, they arrived to the hall of rooms, but they found no one in there. Kisame rubbed his chin with his hand. "I guess we're a little bit too late. They must've gone to Pain-sama's office."

"Oh, I guess we're very late, Kisame." Nagayoshi replied. "There they are." She pointed her finger towards a trio walking back from said office. Itachi was the first to appear. He seemed to be leaving his other two companions behind. His eyes landed on Kisame and Nagayoshi. His tall, blue partner waved at him. He didn't return it and went straight ahead to his room.

Kisame frowned. "He's unusually cold today." he commented.

"Oh, really? You just noticed?" Nagayoshi replied sarcastically, crossing her arms in front of her. Kisame ruffled her head and she giggled as she tried to escape from his hand. "Stop treating me as if you're my brother. One brother is enough already."

"Aw…no more place for another, really?"

"Never!" Nagayoshi playfully threw her face away, pouting. She burst out in laughter when Kisame attacked her head with both hands. And not only messing with her hair, he tickled her.

Their playful activity was abruptly stopped by a gruff voice barking from the same way as Itachi had come earlier. "I want to be alone. Go to your room now." It was inevitably Sasori.

"Aw, come on, un! I don't know where my room is! Could you at least point it out to me? Heck, I don't even have the key!" another male voice echoed, whining.

"You'll find it with your room!" Sasori growled. Soon his hunchbacked figure appeared from the tunneled bridge to Pain's office tower.

"Geez, you old mean bag! Why do I have to get you as a partner?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Sasori growled again and disappeared behind the door to his room. He slammed it shut to clarify how upset he was.

Kisame and Nagayoshi blinked, a little terrified with Sasori's uncontrolled emotion. The other male then appeared to the hall of rooms, dragging his feet slowly, confused and clueless to the senior's lack of explanation.

"Damn it…now what am I supposed to do?" the boy asked himself. Nagayoshi and Kisame's eyes expanded at the sight of the new Akatsuki member. He was indeed a boy, but from his appearance, he was clearly much younger than Itachi. He has a long blonde hair; a part of it was tied into a high ponytail while the rest was left free flowing to his upper back. Two blue orbs served as his eyes, one of them was covered by a long one-sided bang. He was quite short for a developing tween boy and his body portion was slightly smaller than Nagayoshi's. If it wasn't because of his gestures and the way his eyes stare at things, people would have mistaken him as a girl.

Sighing, he placed a hand on his forehead. Nagayoshi freed herself from Kisame's hands and walked towards the blonde boy. As she came closer, she noticed that they were at the same height. Could this boy possibly be her age? A little hesitant, Nagayoshi spoke, "Um…can I help you?"

The boy noticed the approaching brunette and replied, "Oh, hi. I was looking for my room."

"You're Sasori-sama's partner, right?" Nagayoshi asked.

Hearing the name 'Sasori', the boy's previously neutral expression turned sour. "Yeah, un, unfortunately."

Nagayoshi giggled, "Don't sweat it. He's always like that. Oh, you were looking for your room, right? C'mere, let me show you."

The blonde boy beamed. "Thanks a lot, um…" he stopped, wondering what her name would be.

"Nagayoshi." the girl answered. "And you are?"

"Deidara."

She smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Deidara."

* * *

**Hooray! Debut of Deidara! And hello again, old and new readers! Aren't you happy and excited to be able to read the continuation of Nagayoshi and Kakuzu's story? This opens a new leaf to me. From now on, Nagayoshi's story will be a lot more exciting, a lot more dramatic, and, of course, a lot more violent (how can I live without that? XD). Again, should things turn a little bit too mature, I'll kick the rating up into M. The first one didn't get to achieve that, because I was still uncertain, and probably will stay as T. Of course, silly, there won't be any lemons. At least, not until Nagayoshi's 18 or older. Okay, stop talking and keep waiting/reading! Don't forget the reviews, guys!**

**I actually want to post this after I have 5 chapters on hand, but I'm impatient and since I'm in the midst of my midterm test, 5 chapters are gonna take a long time. So I decided to post the pilot here. However, don't expect any updates next week because the hard part of the midterms has just begun! World Concept/Philosophy test! [noes!]  
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**Quick note: STOP asking about when Hidan and Tobi will come out! Seriously! I recommend you check the Naruto Wikia to find the answer on your own. Hidan is the second newest member in Akatsuki by the time of Shippuden after Tobi. So he will NOT appear at least until Nagayoshi is around 16 or 17.**

_Next: For the first time after so many years, Nagayoshi gets to know someone with the same age as she. What kind of effect will it give to Nagayoshi._


	2. Iwa's Blonde Bomber

**Chapter 2: Iwa's Blonde Bomber**

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There was a slap on the forehead. Deidara groaned. "That little geezer sure has no shame, un! I mean, c'mon! My room is just across HIS!" he complained, glaring at the door with the '_Gyoku'_ kanji on it.

"That's Sasori-sama for you. You might want to get used to it." Nagayoshi answered, smiling wryly. She grabbed on the knob and opened the door to what was now Deidara's room.

"And Sasori-san, by the way, isn't that much of a geezer." Kisame added, following the two early teenagers.

"And may I know who you are, un?" Deidara's uncovered eye squinted.

"Kisame Hoshigaki. One of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen and your senior." Kisame introduced himself, ending it with a smug smirk.

"Oh," Deidara replied uncertainly. Slowly, he followed Nagayoshi but his eyes looked back to the tall blue man once in a while. Kisame had to suppress a flinch at that eye contact.

"Welcome to your room, Deidara. Kisame and I had been cleaning and removing the stuffs of its previous owner for you before you came. It's yours now—at least, until someone replaces you." Nagayoshi said with a smile. "Oh, and the key's on the door."

Kisame removed the key from its hole and tossed it for the blonde to catch. "Thanks. Say…it's not bad, un…it's obviously bigger than my room in Iwa. You see, I didn't come from a rich family."

Nagayoshi sat on the room's working chair and faced Deidara who stood in the middle of the room staring around the room. Meanwhile, Kisame leaned against the closed door and he asked, "So what did a young boy like you do to get yourself an S rank as a criminal? You've got to do some serious countrywide sin to be an S-rank criminal at that young age."

"Well, at first, I just did small robberies on wealthy places, taking hostages and such with a bunch of guys and girls. But then after we were caught and grounded for several months, only I had the guts to continue living as a crook. My 'friends' all wussed out, un. Then, I think it was about two months ago, I held Earth Country's daimyo as a hostage and bombed the government building. The daimyo isn't dead, but I did kill most of the government people." Deidara answered, his subtle tension around Kisame loosened as he spoke.

"Wait," Kisame held out a hand, "why would you do all that stuff?"

Deidara shrugged, "I was on a whim, un. I just feel like it."

Both Kisame and Nagayoshi blinked in surprise to the boy's casual way of answering. Only one of them retained the surprised expression, the older of the two burst out a wheeze followed by a short set of laughter. Kisame covered his mouth to hold down his laughter, but he couldn't help it. _On a whim, he said. This kid ain't so bad._

"That's one of the strangest answer I've ever heard." Nagayoshi commented.

"But I also wanted to show them my awesome arts, un!" Deidara added. Nagayoshi was listening. "And with those arts, I terrorize those people."

Nagayoshi was getting interested in this boy's ability, which she has yet to discover. She tilted her head to the side, accentuating her curiosity. "Arts? What kind of arts? Painting? Or is it the same as Sasori-sama's art?"

Deidara's expression scrunched into that of contempt upon hearing the last two words coming from the girl's mouth. "EWWW! That kid's stuff? I can't believe he calls that 'art', un! It's ridiculous!" he ranted, flailing both of his arms to the air. "Art is something that only lasts momentarily! And the way they disappear is the thing that tells us how artistic they are."

Kisame raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this boy's enthusiasm in art. He was not someone who appreciates art much, but he knows which one is art and which one is not when he sees it. He looked over to Nagayoshi whose face showed more than enough that she was clearly interested in this concept of art. All of her life, she had only been introduced to economy, politics, cruelty, ranching (Hokko's reference), and most especially, fighting. Fighting was probably the only artistic knowledge she had received—hence the name 'martial arts'. Although there was already an artist in Akatsuki before Deidara, but he was off from her boundaries. Sasori was not someone to make a conversation with her, even though he tolerates her. Plus, Kakuzu didn't seem to let his sister around him much either.

Deidara's arrival in her life might add another color and another experience to Nagayoshi's small world. Furthermore, their age was more or less the same. They had yet to find out each other's birthdays, but time will get there eventually. By being in the same age group and being from a completely different background too, these two might soon start an interesting friendship, probably a different friendship from what Kisame and Nagayoshi shared.

The blue man's ears caught voices speaking from behind the door and he was positive the girl's name was being mentioned by a heavy bass voice belonged none other to Kakuzu. He lightly whistled to the girl. She looked over to him, eyes wondering why. "Someone's searching for you, kid." said Kisame.

"Oh, it must be Oniisan!" Nagayoshi said, standing upright. She turned to Deidara for the last time before she left. "It's really nice to meet you. I guess I can see your art later then."

Deidara smirked. "Give me your hand." he said. He had a closed hand held up in front of him.

Nagayoshi stared at the hand with question but she opened a palm anyways. Deidara slowly opened his hand and a baseball-sized white canary made of clay dropped onto her hand. Nagayoshi scrutinized the molten earth miniature; her curiosity level was getting higher and higher.

"If you have time tomorrow, I can show you how awesome my art is. Just bring the bird with you." Deidara said. He looked over to Kisame. "You can come and see too, Kisame-san, if you want to."

"We'll see." Kisame answered, smirking.

Nagayoshi smiled to Deidara and nodded before she went out of the room. Kisame followed the girl and closed the door behind him. Deidara was now left in his new room, adapting to the new environment.

"There you are. I thought you were still outside." Kakuzu said looking at his sister exiting the newly inhabited room. "Getting to know the newcomer, huh?"

"Yep! He's the same age as I am, or at least he seems so."

"And I see he has given you a present." Kakuzu added, looking down to Nagayoshi's hand. "Now that explains why he's chosen to be Sasori's partner."

"Yeah," Kisame said, "but you have no idea how much alike he and Sasori are with you and your own partner. Well, they might turn worse, I think, but they argue a lot."

Having put the miniature canary on the side table, Nagayoshi returned to her brother and asked, "So why were you calling, Oniisan? Want me to help with your file organizing?"

"Nah, Hokko had taken care of that, even before he went. Here," Kakuzu handed five pocket books to his sister who received them with a pair of bulging eyes. "They're almost overdue. Return it to the library before they do. Don't wanna get any charges, now do we?"

Nagayoshi smirked and nodded. "I'll get right to it."

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi had been dying from curiosity last night. She was so curious of what Deidara's art might be and that little thought alone could keep her eyes open for straight three hours. And because she was up for the first three hours of her bed time, for once she could successfully evade Kakuzu's death sleeping roll. Hence, the siblings switched side that night. It left the masked ninja amazed the morning he woke up.

She met Deidara during breakfast. Apparently, the blond boy wasn't much of an early bird, and Nagayoshi overslept that morning. Without further ado (except breakfast), Nagayoshi stated she would love to see Deidara demonstrating his true work of art. Deidara grinned smugly and nodded to her request.

Bringing the clay canary with her, Nagayoshi followed Deidara outside the base. Nagayoshi showed the boy the perfect opened place and it was the meadow on top of the cave, where Kisame decided to 'kidnap' her to two days ago. Deidara was quite astounded to see such open and spacious place exist not far from the entrance. He scrutinized the surroundings with awe, until Nagayoshi shoved the canary in front of his blue eyes.

"Aaah!" Deidara exclaimed in surprise, giving the same but more silent reaction from the girl.

Kicking away the surprise, Nagayoshi asked, "Aren't you gonna show me something?"

Blinking rapidly, Deidara slapped his own forehead. "Stupid me, haha! Of course, un! Give me the bird." he said, opening both of his hands. Without a word, the girl gave him the off-white clay canary. He turned to another direction and flung the bird away. He took Nagayoshi by surprise; the black-haired girl thought he was throwing it away. Her thoughts abruptly changed when she saw the simplistic clay molding flapped its wings and soared to the air like a real life bird.

Nagayoshi was astonished with the sight. Her mouth gaped wide as with her eyes. "Eeh? It's flying!" she exclaimed in disbelief, pointing at the flying creature. "It can't be! It's just a clay figure!" she added. She knew she had seen weird things throughout her life, like a resurrected dead or animals that are bigger than any building in the world, but she never thought that a clay figure could suddenly have a life of its own.

Deidara grinned and cackled proudly. "That's my specialty, un!" he said, putting both of his hands on his hips. "But that's not even half of the surprise."

Nagayoshi whisked her head to the boy's direction, eyes and mouth more gaping than a few seconds ago. She eyed Deidara's motions with high anticipation. Deidara held two fingers near his mouth, his eyes focused to the flying clay bird, and the grin on his face grew.

_"Katsu!"_ he shouted, followed by a cacophonous _BOOM!_

Shockwaves quickly spread around the perimeter, sending a violent gush of wind to every direction. Nagayoshi guarded her face with her arms. As the wind stopped blowing, she removed her arms and stared at the sky where the bird was before. She found no bird—not even the remains of it. The bird was gone, completely, in that explosion. No, that bird _was_ the cause of the explosion.

"You killed it!" Nagayoshi shrieked in horror, pointing to the now empty sky. "You killed the poor thing!"

Hearing that comment, Deidara's expression turned sour in a flick of a finger. "It's not killed! That is how it's supposed to work, un! That bird is a bomb, dammit! It meant to explode!" he yelled at Nagayoshi, pointing to the same direction as Nagayoshi. "GAH! Why isn't there anyone understand my art?"

Nagayoshi blinked fast. "That…was your art?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh! Now I get it! So that is the art you wanted to show me!" Nagayoshi exclaimed in realization. Afterwards, she scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, laughing in the same manner. "Sorry…I'm not really used to the concept of art. I don't know that an explosion can be considered as art."

"Well, now you know it, un." Deidara replied bitterly, crossing both of his arms.

"Hey, I said I'm sorry, didn't I? C'mon, stop acting like a girly girl!" Nagayoshi apologized, grabbing both of Deidara's shoulders to bribe forgiveness from the blonde boy. The boy threw his face aside.

"You're the one to talk. You look all boyish and even talk like a boy, at least until you see things fluffy and cute. If it wasn't because your hair, I would've still thought that you're a guy."

"Same to you. If I didn't get to hear your voice, I might think you're a girl, _Deidara-chan_." Nagayoshi grinned mischievously to the blonde long-haired boy.

"Don't call me that! Fine, _Nagayoshi-kun._" They both silenced for a while before, suddenly, Nagayoshi burst in laughter. She bent down, holding her aching stomach. Not long after her, Deidara chortled along with her.

"Darn! We're so misplaced!" Nagayoshi said between giggles. She took a deep breath and exhaled in a loud sigh. Deidara was still laughing and he seemed to let go of the fun later. Still giggling, Nagayoshi patted Deidara's back, remarking, "That was an awesome blow, by the way. Very loud, but it's awesome."

Wiping a happy tear, Deidara replied, "Thanks, un. Glad that you like it."

"Oh, so you want to impress me that much, huh?"

Deidara breathed in deeply before letting the air out, diminishing the stomach-aching laughter. His face lost its comedical lines, but didn't turn outright serious either. "Yeah, nobody ever understands my art, un. They said it's just fireworks failed to spark. But it's not the spark; it's the moment of destruction! The bigger the explosion, the more artistic it becomes, un. That one I showed you was just a sketch. The true masterpiece is saved for last."

"I wonder what it looks like." Nagayoshi smirked. "But I like the form before it explodes too. Not too realistic, but it's still nice."

"You like birds, huh?"

"Half of my name is a bird!"

"What's the other half?"

"Cloth."

"What the—? Is that really what your name means?" Deidara asked in disbelief.

Nagayoshi blushed slightly, poking both ends of her index finger at each other. "I didn't make that name. My brother did…" she answered embarrassedly. It has been a long time since somebody last asked her about her name and she doesn't like it one bit.

"Your brother? The tall and dark guy with stitches?"

"Not him. Someone before him. But he's long dead now." Nagayoshi corrected, her face grew somber at the end of her sentence.

"I'm sorry, un…"

"Don't be." Nagayoshi smiled. "I met Kakuzu-niisan after that. Well, he's not the nicest guy in the world, but he surely isn't the worst either. Just like the others in Akatsuki. Sasori-sama isn't really a grumpy guy. He has an interesting theory of art too."

"'Art is eternal and everlasting'? You believe in that shit?" Deidara asked. His eyebrow rose to his hairline.

Nagayoshi shrugged. "I believe that whatever I think is awesome, beautiful, or mesmerizing is art. Why should you fuss about it so much?"

"Because art is a bang." Deidara deadpanned.

"That's it?"

"Yeah, un! It's there—_BOOM!_—it's not there anymore! Deafening sound, bursting fire, and shockwaves! _That_ is art!"

"O…kay… I'm just saying what I'm thinking. You don't have to be so heated up." The two spent the next couple of minutes in an awkward silence. Seeing that Deidara seemed to be very unpleased ever since hearing the word 'Sasori', Nagayoshi thought a moment of quietness could cool off his mind and emotion. It always works with her big brother. She closely observed the long-haired blonde boy and when his forehead muscles didn't pressed on his eyebrows and eyes anymore, she broke the silence. "Can I see how you make that bird again? I think I missed it yesterday." she asked with a soft smile. The silence and her request successfully brought Deidara's spirits back.

**|-oOo-|**

"Why do _I_ have to spend my time in your room with these paper works?" Kisame groaned in complaint, sitting on a ginger-colored wooden floor with six towers of documents around him. Being a very athletic person he was, sitting on the floor, with a less-than-plump pillow as his seat, was something he hardly would do, let alone think of.

"Hey, I can't do everything alone. Besides, I came to depend on Hokko for sorting out the documents according to date. Now watch that closely! I don't want to sum the wrong numbers." Kakuzu retorted to the tall, blue man.

Kisame sighed in exasperation. "Hokko must be taking his time in his hometown now…" he murmured, mind flying to the comfortable place Hokko used to live.

"Work." Kakuzu growled.

Kisame grimaced and obliged to the senior member's order. As he took a piece of document, the other six towers collapsed to the floor as a discordant echo and a tremendous earthquake shook the whole tower which the Akatsuki called headquarters. He would want to scream in frustration at the messiness of the documents, if his shock wasn't stronger. He and Kakuzu looked to each other's eyes and the two rushed outside, leaving their paper works behind. They ignored all questioning eyes and speeches wondering about the same thing as them. Yet, only the two tallest members of Akatsuki ran outside the base to check what that sound and quake were.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where all the shocker came from. It had to be from outside. And outside, there was Nagayoshi and Deidara. Kakuzu had no feelings for the newcomer yet, so he wasn't really concerned about him. He was Sasori's responsibility, anyway, not his. But it was his sister he worried about. He had to admit he hadn't felt this sickening worry for a long time—four months—and now that he felt it again, it was not the most pleasant feeling human kind ever discovered.

Kakuzu and Kisame got out of the secret entrance to the headquarters and immediately pinpointed the source of the clamor from above: the meadow on top of the boulder-sealed faux-entrance cave. They jumped towards the plains only to found their eyes gaping wide at the sight.

Two pre-teens cheering at a cloud of black smoke, inevitably from a flammable object detonated.

Kakuzu felt his bones melted into wax upon seeing that sight. He felt as if the kids were abusing his intelligence and sharp senses. He just never felt this stupid in his entire life. If Hokko got his ears to this story, Kakuzu would rather die. But then Kisame saw this too.

"Now that explains why he and Sasori-san argue a lot."

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**Writing in the midst of midterm test wasn't the wisest thing to do, but I did it anyway! :D**

**I like how this chapter turns out, although there are some difficult and awkward moments to write in here. But I like it, especially the 'Deidara-chan and Nagayoshi-kun' part. I think someone mentioned this in a review before, but I can't remember who said it. Whatever; I'm so psyched that you have the same thought as I am!**

**However, I still hate it when people depict Deidara being too girly in their fanfiction, especially if it's yaoi. Deidara is not even close to girly, except in hairstyle. Deidara is a man, people! Spare him the dignity!**

**Oh, and I use the Mythbusters crew's passion for explosion to get a better understanding on Deidara's feelings. Being a Mythbusters fan I am, it's not too hard to understand him. I myself is an adrenaline junkie. That's what you amateur fanfiction writers should do too if you want your fanfiction as realistic as possible without erasing the fantasy essence. Research!**

_Next: Nagayoshi, at the peak of puberty, starts to feel a great boredom in her daily activities when not on a mission. Deidara gives her a suggestion; a suggestion that takes Nagayoshi's little pastime to a higher level._


	3. Deidara's Suggestion

**Chapter 3: Deidara's Suggestion

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Within a few weeks, Nagayoshi seemed like she had forgotten about the tragedy that fell upon her last winter—the loss of a great friend and a man she loved—and had lived her life normally. The arrival of the young new member only made her days even brighter. In a couple of days, they had invented nicknames for each other. In a week, they have shared each other's birthdays (Deidara had his birthday just one week before being recruited to Akatsuki) and they were indeed born in the same year. In two weeks, they already go wherever together, even sometimes hand-in-hand. Their only separator is the missions assigned to each of their division. And then in a month…

_"Katsu!"_

"You little son of bitch! Come back here so I can slice the living daylight out of you!" Sasori roared from inside his room. His voice echoed through his detonated door to be heard all around the headquarters. And in one month, the two newly-formed friends had wreaked havoc in the headquarters by pulling pranks, most habitually on Sasori.

"Run, Nagayoshi-kun!" Deidara shouted and the two of them dashed across the hall of rooms as fast as they could. Sasori was behind them, ready to unleash his puppets to punish the two young teenagers.

The teens' were halted uncouthly by a pair of arms. Nagayoshi was hauled onto a man's shoulder while Deidara was caught on the collar and mercilessly dragged back to where Sasori was standing. The two young people squirmed and struggled, but the man's arms were stronger. Nagayoshi punched the back of her capturer, hoping it would hurt him and release her and Deidara. However, it didn't work and the man has already stood in front of a fuming Sasori.

"I believe this boy's your responsibility." Kakuzu said, holding Deidara on his collar to Sasori. The blonde was still squirming.

"Ouch! You're hurting my neck, un! Lemme go!"

"Drop him in Hiruko. He and I have a lot to discuss and I don't like it when people ran away from me when I'm talking." Sasori said, glaring at Deidara coldly. With a flick of a finger, Hiruko's chamber was opened. Kakuzu dropped the blonde boy inside the puppet and watched as the cavity closed in and trapped Deidara inside. The boy banged and shouted from the inside, wanting freedom of movement and equal speech.

Sasori returned to his room, his door-less room, whilst Kakuzu returned to his, just two rooms to Sasori's left. All the way back, Nagayoshi squirmed and shouted at Sasori to not harm her friend. She knew, though, the chances of surviving Sasori's rage would be slim.

Nagayoshi grunted when her brother dropped her roughly to their bed. She bounced back in an attempt to escape and rescue Deidara, but Kakuzu's tendrils had locked her movement. Hokko came in just at the right time to see Kakuzu's other hand slapped his sister's cheek, putting her into silence. The cowboy ninja flinched a little. Being a children-loving person, he disliked it when people abuse the young people. But in this case, Nagayoshi deserved it.

"You're out of your fucking mind! This isn't the first time you and your little new friend do such a thing! That was very foolish and immature of you! Last time, you stole Sasori's property; before that, you hid an important piece of work of mine; but this time, I can't believe you would actually _destroy_ someone's entrance—with a bomb! Just where the hell did you put all of your senses?" Kakuzu roared at his sister, pushing the posture of the girl down with the power of his voice.

Nagayoshi sulked, pouting her mouth. "He started—"

"I don't give a fucking damn on who started it! One thing for sure you agreed to do it!" Kakuzu snapped. The nerves on his neck began to bulge visibly and the creases between his nose and around his eyes pullulated.

Nagayoshi threw her face away from the eyes of her brother, her mouth still pouting and her eyes were glaring at something that was not visible but present in the room. Kakuzu spotted that look.

"Now don't give me that look. That look—a look saying that I don't know what the hell I was talking about."

"Well, do you?" the girl retorted bitterly, much to the two men's surprise. Hokko resisted the urge to put a palm on his face. That girl didn't realize how big a mistake she had just made. Obviously, that tone and words weren't accepted nicely to Kakuzu's ears.

"How dare you use that tone to me!" Kakuzu snarled on the girl. His temper automatically tightened the coils around Nagayoshi's wrists and ankles. However, such thoughts relating to pain didn't cross upon the siblings' minds.

"Oh, so now you're going to be Mr. Good-Attitude, is that it? I don't recall you use the proper tone of speaking to your boss either!" Nagayoshi retorted defiantly. She tried to squirm away from the tendrils around her wrists and ankles but to no avail. If any, they tightened more and more. Hokko knew he has to step into the argument.

"You do NOT talk to me like that ever—" Kakuzu barked at the teenage girl, nearly stepping forward to slap Nagayoshi harder than previous until a hand grabbed his shoulder. Not wanting to be interrupted, he turned around and shot a thick handful of tendrils at the cowboy ninja. It shot across the room and smashed a nearby wall until it fractured largely. Nagayoshi gasped at his abnormally violent reaction, despite that she was relieved that Hokko survived the brisk attack by ducking at the last second. His hat, though, got the injury his body should have received.

"Oniisan, what are you doing! Hokko-san doesn't deserve that kind of thing!" Nagayoshi shrieked, her face changed from that of rebellious into that of fear and panic. She whimpered when Kakuzu violently grabbed her cheeks in the same way he would to strangle someone's neck.

"Easy for you to tell me to apologize. Why don't you go and apologize to Sasori with your little blonde friend for the damage you've done? I may talk defiantly at times, but at least I _respect_ other people's properties."

Meekly, Hokko rose up from his ducking position. He cleared his throat, hoping it would catch the older member's attention. "Permission to speak, Kakuzu-san."

"What?" Kakuzu snapped.

Hokko stood up fully and moved his mouth close to Kakuzu's ear. He whispered, "You're being too mean on the kid." Nagayoshi heard him and a flash of hope streaked through her heart.

"I only did what is necessary to teach this kid a lesson." Kakuzu hushedly growled back his answer. His voice was audible as well.

Then Hokko whispered back, but this time his voice was much more muted than the previous that even Nagayoshi couldn't make up what he and her brother were saying. Moreover, the cowboy ninja also used his wide-brimmed hat to cover his and Kakuzu's face thus preventing Nagayoshi to read their lips. Nagayoshi frowned, not liking the idea of being ignored. After what it seemed like a minute of inaudible whispers, Hokko put down his hat and his face was grinning. Kakuzu, however, didn't seem to be as delighted as his partner. He sighed.

"You're lucky to have him by your side." Kakuzu said to his sister. For a moment, Nagayoshi's hopes were amplified but it quickly shrunk again upon realizing that Kakuzu had yet to release his tendrils. "You are grounded for tonight. You are not allowed to have dinner or eat anything until next morning." he added, walking away from her. His tendrils used to tie her wrists and ankles were still connected to his left arm. They elongated as he approached the door where Hokko had stood by. "I'm going to lock you in here until I return. Don't even think of blowing the door off or I'll let Itachi use his Genjutsu on you."

He released Nagayoshi's wrists and ankles and exited from the room. Quickly, he shut the door and locked it before the girl got the chance to run and bang her hands on the door. Nagayoshi tried to jiggle the door knob but it was firmly locked from outside. Her head met the door's cleanly sanded flat surface. She slumped to the floor, feeling completely hopeless.

With the absence of banging and shouting, Kakuzu was positive that the girl had given up trying. A heavy blow of air exited from his nostrils. Hokko's hand tapped on his back again but this time he will not attack him. He simply turned his head to meet him.

"You're one of a hellishly strict parent, partner." the cowboy ninja remarked.

"You have no idea. I used to be a lot worse when she was still a mere schoolgirl with high grades." Kakuzu replied. The anger that was on his eyes faded as he talked. "As for you, you are one carefree parent. I dare say, you're even too soft. So much for the cold-blooded parent-killer."

"Those parents are more abusive than you think!" Hokko retorted. "If I weren't there, the kids I have saved until today would've been six feet under our feet!"

"Your good intentions also make you soft in one way. Toughen it up. We don't want hindering obstacles in the form of personalities, now do we?" With that being said, Kakuzu went off. He turned one last time, pointing a threatening finger at his partner. "Oh, and if you help my sister get away from this mess in any way, I'll gouge your one and only eyeball out."

Hokko replied none but he obeyed. He knew his place anyway. This brother-sister fight was totally not the place he's supposed to be. He stepped in and it cost his hat's formerly-flawless texture. God knows what will happen if he did that again in a situation one level more intense than that.

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi was glad she had enough patience and obedience (and fear) to stay inside the room without having dinner or supper. She spent the first few hours rereading the books that were available in Kakuzu's bookshelf. Then the next few hours, she just curled up on the bed, holding her growling stomach. Despite that she was used to not eat dinner during missions, she never knew that missing dinner while _not_ during missions could be this painful. The lack of activity caused her brain to only focus on her stomach.

She decided to head off to bed faster—far faster than usual. Barely twenty minutes later, she heard the door open. She didn't bother to look over to her brother. Not that she held any resentment to him after what he did; instead, she felt ashamed. She didn't have the guts to see her brother's face. She realized what she had done and she blamed herself.

She shouldn't have acted like that. Why didn't it cross her mind that her cocky attitude would cause him to explode? She knew Kakuzu would kill blindly when he's furious. She failed to remember that detail and it nearly caused the death of Hokko.

She felt the bed's springs creaked at the additional weight. She pretended to sleep, closing her eyes but not her ears. She had no clue of what Kakuzu was doing behind her back now. Has he gone to bed already or was he watching her closely? She tried not to care. She just slept, snoring her problems away until the next sunrise.

**|-oOo-|**

A sigh. Nagayoshi tossed the big red Fuji apple and caught it before she bit on the fruit's meat. She sat around in the rarely-used living room. There was really not much in it. Only a coffee table with surface full of mug or glass marks, a dull couch, a bonsai, and a messy stash of old magazines inside the coffee table's shelf. The magazines were from ten to sixteen years ago and most of them were interior design magazines. There are some economy and business magazines too, but not much.

Nagayoshi had no interest with the magazines. Her eyes just gazed outside the rain-tinted window. Her chest was lighter now that she had apologized to both Kakuzu and Sasori. However, there was still a little guilt in her.

There was a shuffle coming from the kitchen. Nagayoshi wondered who that was. She heard a shaky moan and the sound of the refrigerator's door being opened. She knew who that was and called out, "Deidara-chan?"

"Eh? Nagayoshi-kun?" he replied from the kitchen. "Hold on, let me grab something to eat first."

Nagayoshi waited. There was more shuffle and soon, Deidara arrived. He fell slump on the couch's backrest. He looked weary.

"Uh…you okay, Deidara-chan? You look like you've been enslaved." said Nagayoshi.

"Hell yeah, I was, un." he answered. "That wood-hinged bastard forced me to fix his door using his chakra strings. I was his puppet for 13 hours, un!"

"Is the door fixed now?"

"Thank god, un, yeah."

"I was locked inside my room without dinner or supper. I can't even have my night apple. It sucked last night."

"Tell me about it, un."

"I think we should stop, Deidara-chan. All this prank we've done cost my relationship with my brother. I don't want him to hate me." Nagayoshi said somberly.

"What? Are you telling me that I can't make art anymore?" Deidara asked in disbelief.

"No! I mean…you can still explode things, but maybe not inside the HQ anymore. You might get kicked out the next time you do a nasty prank."

"I don't care. Actually, it'll be good, un. I didn't ask to be a member. I was recruited and I thought being in a criminal organization sounds cool, so I kinda accepted. If I'm out, I can explode whatever I want. I'll be a free man, un." Deidara said, now sitting properly beside Nagayoshi. He turned to her, "Hey, why don't you run away from here?"

Nagayoshi's eyes dilated. She scratched the back of her neck. "Uhm…I dunno. I never really have the desire to live completely all by myself. Won't that be lonely?"

"Yeah, sometimes it does. But that's the use of my arts, un! It attracts public attention!"

"But I don't have that kind of thing! I don't have something that explodes!"

"How about Raihou?" Deidara asked.

"That? No… Well, if I put a lot of chakra to it, I can make a really epic one, but then it'll cost me my chakra. I don't want that."

Deidara suddenly cupped his own chin, eyes full of thoughts. Nagayoshi blinked as she observed his curious look. "Maybe…that's not your art. Maybe your art is something else. Tell me: what's your hobby?"

Nagayoshi blinked fast again. She answered, "Uh…let's see…after my brother or Hokko defeats an enemy, I sometimes steal their weapons if they're cool or unusual. After that, if we get to a small village or something, I would search for a weapon merchant and sold those weapons I stole. It's a pretty good business. Once I used to get this awesome rapier and people auctioned to get it. I ended up getting eight million Ryou!"

Deidara gaped, followed by a shocked exclamation. "You're joking, un! Eight million? That's a lot of money, man!"

Nagayoshi grinned. "Well, you're right!"

"What did you do to all that money, un?"

The entire Arctic sea was showered over Nagayoshi's body and caused her to sit still blankly with her eyes opened. Deidara raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. What came from her mouth was a stuttered laugh. The blond made a gruff sigh.

"You…spent it?"

"On food—mostly." Nagayoshi added hastily. Immediately after that, she knew she just said the wrong thing. She added again, "Well, when you have that much money, you never really know what you're supposed to do with it. Oniisan said I should save it. I did, but less than half of it. Money is a devil full of temptations. Um…Oniisan's not gonna like that."

"You have the point about money being tempting and all, but really, only food? You should spend it on something more useful or valuable. Like—a haircut!"

"What's wrong with it?" Nagayoshi asked.

"It's hideous, un! You may not look like a boy anymore with that hair, but seriously, it needs extra care." Deidara said, grabbing a handful of Nagayoshi's thick black hair in his hand. He looked at them with a slight contempt. His mouthed hands were eager to reach the nearest scissors and snip the mess goodbye.

"Mind it later. We were talking about my art, remember?" Nagayoshi interjected, successfully diverting the straying topic to the original.

"Right! So since you're quite of an illegal hoarder, I guess you might have the talent to be a thief. A phantom thief is even better, un. I mean, you're fast—really, really fast—and thanks to that moneygrubber bro of yours, your eyes have this ability to judge values of a treasure." Deidara explained. His hand was no longer grabbing the girl's hair. He turned to the girl and found her deep in her thoughts. "How does it sound, un?" he asked, very confident that his talent judgment was not wrong at all.

"Deidara-chan," Nagayoshi called, her head turning slowly to him, "I don't think I have the talent for that." she said.

"You're doubting yourself? Is that what you mean, un?"

"No! I'm saying I don't have the talent because…stealing is how I was raised. I was raised by two pickpockets. Well, yeah, I didn't do a lot of the stealing but I did a lot of decoying and distracting. I only started stealing for real after those two pickpockets—which were my first brother and sister, by the way—got killed. Then I met Kakuzu-niisan and my life improved a bit, but I still practiced my stealing skill. Pretty handy at times. Especially when I'm broke."

"That's it, un! That's it!" Deidara exclaimed. Both of his hands landed hard and vigorous on both of Nagayoshi's shoulders. He shook her excitedly. "You're still naturally a thief, un! You have the basic! And that, my friend, is what will take you to your artistic self. Stealing—and anything tightly related to it—is the face of your art, un. Now we just have to test if you can kick it up a notch."

"T-test it? What—do you mean I have to…to…" Nagayoshi stammered. Her hands tried to finish what her mouth couldn't by moving in an unexplainable gesture.

"We'll steal someone's house. Start with a low-leveled collector!" With gusto, Deidara punched his fist to the air.

"Even collectors have levels?" Nagayoshi asked. She knew that mercenaries and thieves do have levels. But collectors? Is it measured from the antiquity of their collection or by the quantity of their collection?

"Low–leveled collectors are people who collect things whose material value are low, aka cheap-ass. Postal stamps and coins are two of 'em, un."

"Really? I never even thought about collecting those things. And how much is low material value?" asked Nagayoshi again. Much to her dismay, she inherited one of Kakuzu's iconic traits, only in a slight variant. Since she was no longer a pick-pocket, she hated it when she stole something that doesn't worth much. Anything that values less than five-hundred-thousand Ryou is the same as worthless to her.

"Um…around three hundred or something." Deidara answered. He wasn't aware of Nagayoshi's secret bugbear.

"Only three hundred-something?" Nagayoshi stared at Deidara in disbelief. Her ears must have heard wrong. Unfortunately, they didn't. "Well that's disappointing. I don't know if I'll be motivated enough to steal that thing."

Deidara rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe this seemingly goody-goody girl has a dark side in her. Well, actually he expected that. There's no way a goody-goody girl can get her way to Akatsuki, even if they are related to one of the members. He kind of expected that Nagayoshi had done crimes, even small ones like pick-pocketing. Yet, he never expected her to be quite materialistic. But after he gave a little thought, he could guess the source of her materialism.

"Alright, un. How about if you just sneak into someone's house and snag something. Of course, that means we can't go after civilians' houses. Anyone with some kind of importance, that's it, un."

Nagayoshi nodded. "Although it's not really a better idea, but I'd rather go with it. I want to test out myself too, anyways. You're lucky I'm not being picky right now."

"Oh, so complaining isn't one way to show me you're picky?" A round big fist suddenly met the back of his head in a manner that caused him to exclaim, "OWW!"

"When do we start?" Nagayoshi asked menacingly, grabbing Deidara by the collar of his black t-shirt.

The blond boy rubbed his aching head, wincing. The pained expression disappeared in a snap of a finger, replaced by a smirk. "But first, there's something you need to do."

* * *

**Aaa…I gotta stop it there because my ideas are running short—again. Turns out the beginning of this story doesn't go too well. I hope I get to the fun part soon. And I'm pretty sure nobody wants to hear where I've been, what I've been doing and et cetera, right?  
**

**I actually asked my married-and-have-kids sister about what she would do if her 13-year-old child breaks someone else's property. She didn't say she'd slap the kid, but since this is Kakuzu and Nagayoshi deserves one (in my point of view) then she gets it. Kakuzu may be a criminal, but he's not psychopathic so his fatherly instincts will lead him to teach his kid sister some manners. Hey, he's an S-classed criminal, so of course he acts like a high-class. He's…the more violent version of my dad, now that I've thought about it.**

**Okay, now gimme your boos and whoos. I don't care which one.**


	4. Blue jumpsuit and an Elephant

**Chapter 4: Blue Jumpsuit and an Elephant**

**

* * *

**

That girl was only 160 centimeters. Yet, in her all-black clothes, face and head covered, she did a terrific job in jumping from ten meters height and landing safely in rolls. All those tasks she did soundlessly. Seven years ago, she was awful in keeping herself quiet. When she was left all alone, her lack of silence nearly cost her life. She still couldn't keep herself quiet up to this moment. The black mask, padded footwear, and gloves functioned to subdue that weakness. She was on a stealth mission and she won't let any of her weaknesses ruin it.

Like a lizard, she crawled down the traditional thatched roof. It roofed a big house with a wealthy family of rice producer living in it. She checked which room has no lights on. She heard the family had four daughters and one son. Unlike her, those daughters don't really enjoy the darkness. When she saw dim lights through the thin cloth that made the door, she knew it was the girl's room. She tiptoed across the room. Slowly…carefully…silently…

Making small holes through the cloth, she peeked if the room was occupied or not. She didn't want to enter a room where there was a person in it. She wanted living room or better yet: the treasure vault. On her way to the master bedroom—which has the second biggest sliding door after the main entrance—she came across a fish pond. She looked to the water and saw her reflection. All of her face was covered in black cloth. She scowled. Her reflection reminded her of her much older adoptive brother. It annoyed her to no end. She hates it when she resembles him too much—unless if it's in terms of power, intelligence and fighting abilities.

Suppressing an annoyed grumble, she moved on. She perforated another door and peeked through. That room was bigger and uninhabited. She knew, then, she was only a breath away from the jackpot. Trying not to make dragging sound, she opened the sliding door. She opened just enough for her body to slip in. Once she was inside, her eyes roamed around the living room.

There was a small table right in the middle. A memoriam altar sat on her far left; two pictures of an old man and an old woman put side by side on it. On the right, there was a display. It was draped under a silk red tablecloth. Its surface was smooth, as if it had never been touched before. But what caught the girl's eyes was not the display itself or the tablecloth, but the sixty-seven-centimeter samurai sword sheathed and rested on top of it. The sword's power lured her closer. First the body, the face, then the hands.

Like handling a newborn baby, Nagayoshi lifted the sword with care. Safety protocols prevented her from opening her gloves in order to feel the sheath's lacquer-smothered magnolia surface. Slowly, she pulled the blade out of its house and marveled at its glimmering beauty. Still free of rust and mold; she was optimistic this sword was the reason she came to this house in the middle of end-spring night.

She stored the blade in its scabbard again. She took out a folded bag tucked under her black shirt and put the precious sword in it. She slung the bag around her back and as silently, sneaked out of the room. As soon as she slid open the door, she froze, eyes wide. In front of her, rubbing both eyes, was a little girl dressed in sleeping yukata. She and Nagayoshi exchanged looks for a moment.

Cold sweat started to drench Nagayoshi's all-black outfit. This girl saw her! She might as well get in trouble if she told her parents that she saw a person dressed in all black and with a mask. Nagayoshi tried to calm down. This girl was still so small; she was probably five years old or less. That and she was half-awake—or half-asleep. So there was a good chance she had no idea what was going on around her.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked. Nagayoshi really wanted to slap this kid unconscious, but she won't do that. She was just a kid. What wrong has she already done to the world?

Taking a deep breath, Nagayoshi answered with a smile (though only visible through her eyes), "I'm a tooth fairy, sweetheart. I'm here to take your brother's tooth and switch it with money."

"Tooth fairy?" asked the girl.

"Yes."

"Will you take my tooth too?"

_Oh, quit asking already!_ Nagayoshi growled inside her mind. "I will—when you lose them, of course. Now, if you'd be so kind, don't tell your family that I come here tonight. I want it as a surprise, okay?" she requested the girl, grabbing both of her shoulders gently. "I must go, now. You should sleep, little lady."

The girl nodded before she yawned. "Where are you going?"

"To another house with a kid who has lost a tooth. Two blocks from here. Stay healthy!" she dashed and jumped up to the roof of the house. She sprinted and hopped from one roof to another. She sighed in relief that the girl bought everything she had said to her. She wanted to slap herself. _Tooth fairy? With a mask, black clothes, and no wings? What the hell was I thinking? I wonder what would happen if I told her that I'm a Kappa? Will she freak out and scream?_

She ran a hand over her bag with the samurai sword in it. Inwardly, she smiled. _At least, I got my jackpot. I'm pretty sure this thing worth a lot of money._

Then came another want-to-slap-myself moment.

_I'm NOT like my brother!_

**|-oOo-|**

"Oh! There she is, un!" Deidara exclaimed, gliding on a giant clay bird up above the roofs of a small town. He and the bird descended from the clouds, meeting the sprinting Nagayoshi. The girl leaped onto the clay bird and it ascended to the clouds once more. She panted and sighed in relief, opening her mask and headgear. "You got it, un?" he asked.

She said nothing but shoved a long black bag instead. Deidara received it and opened it slightly to satisfy his question. He grinned. "Oh yeah! You got it, un! Here's what he wants! He's gonna pay you big time!"

Nagayoshi chuckled while still panting. "I can't wait." she huffed. Deidara tossed her a bottle of water. She caught it, with a slight tumble, and drank all the water down her throat. She sighed delightfully and wiped the sides of her mouth from leaking water.

"Say," the girl began after catching her breath for a while, "you know that guy how and where?"

"Well, I was running away from home because of my weird dad kept pushing me around. Outside Iwagakure, in a marketplace, I literally bumped onto him after I stole a clay bird statue from a souvenir shop. I worked there, you see. But then this guy didn't hand me over to the authorities but instead lied that I was his ward and will give the punishment himself." Deidara was about to move on, but Nagayoshi's weirdly contorted face made him stop. He skewed an eyebrow.

"Even you made an attempt in stealing—from your own workplace!" she snorted. She struggled to stop the upcoming laughter. "I'm sorry, it's just…unbelievable." And she lost control of her amusement, bursting into bubbly laughter.

"Shut up, un! I just fell in love with that statue! And since I couldn't afford it—plus, I was an employee of that shop, dammit—I decided to steal it! Anyway, as I was saying, he offered me some jobs in collecting stuffs. It's almost like bounty hunting, un, only it's not people we're hunting."

"More like treasure hunter, huh?"

"Yeah, you could say so, un. Even though he's as weird as my dad, I still accepted his offer. And it's not because of the money—it's because I get to blast places and, sometimes, people with my art."

"What's with you and your dad? I think your dad is…artistic…and you inherit that."

"My dad's a fag, un. He's weird—although, I gotta admit I like his art style, un." Deidara blushed slightly. He just scraped on his own ego. Pushing his embarrassment off, he returned to Nagayoshi. "You seem to like your new hair cut a lot, un, Nagayoshi-kun."

Nagayoshi smiled at the boy. "I do. It's perfect; not too boyish and not too girly. You do have your dad's touch, Deidara, as a hairstylist. Your dad's job really explained how _you_ got your hair like it is now."

Deidara blushed again. It was just a few days ago. Because Deidara gets annoyed with Nagayoshi's unruly hairstyle, he volunteered to cut her hair. Nagayoshi was amazed but at the same time excited. She didn't know that Deidara had such ability. She gave him a few directions on what she wanted her hair to look like. Obviously, she wanted to avoid the mistake she did when she was young. She thought it was enough for her to be mistaken as a boy all the time.

Nagayoshi was extremely satisfied with the result. As said above, her new hair cut was not too boyish but not too girly either. Very much reflecting the true Nagayoshi through the outer appearance.

The clay bird descended from the dark sky and landed softly in front of a man in his thirties. He wore a red white-polka-dotted bandana on his head. He rubbed both of his hands, impatient to see what the two youngsters brought him. He jogged towards them as their clay ride landed soundlessly on the ground.

"So, little girl, did you get what I asked?" he asked Nagayoshi. His voice slightly ragged with his uncontrolled breathing. Several muscles pulled back his forehead, therefore his eyebrows along with them.

"First off, you can stop calling me 'little girl', old man." Nagayoshi replied, tossing the bagged samurai toward the man. The receiver didn't take the sword with a smile.

"And I thought I've introduced you my name…" he grumbled, staring at Nagayoshi with irritation from being called 'old man'. "It's Shima Komushi-sama! I'm the greatest treasure hoarder in the world!"

"Yeah, and the worst employer too, un." Deidara added. He grinned mischievously as Nagayoshi giggled.

"Disrespectful brats…" Komushi grumbled. Dismissing the harsh comments the two youngsters gave him, he proceeded to open the loose package he received from Nagayoshi. Despite dark and in the middle of the woods, Komushi flashed a satisfied grin. He tied the black bag tightly and slung the thin strap on his back. "Good work, Nagayoshi-chan. This is what I asked, all right." Komushi then dug his hands into one of his large belt bags.

Nagayoshi grimaced. Carrying those bags around his waist must have been impractical. It'll be hard to run with them obstructing the movement of his waist and legs. Then again, Komushi wasn't really a ninja. He was just someone doing business with ninjas, even helping amateur ones like herself and Deidara.

The thirties man pulled his hands out; several bunch of green printed paper clutched between his thin, skeletal fingers. He counted them briefly before tossing each of them to the girl's hands. "There you go! Eight hundred thousand, as promised." He saw her simply stuffing the money into her bag that was hidden inside the clay bird's mouth all this time. "It's kinda impressive, you know, to see a kid like you able to sneak up like that undetected and successfully snag the house's most precious belonging. You got training or something, kid?"

"I can't say I got training in robbery, but yeah. My big brother's a ninja—a very good one. But I think it's already there before I got the training. I…I was raised as a thief. Well, a street rat thief actually, and really bad at it. That's why my previous brother and sister told me to become a distraction instead because I run fast." Nagayoshi answered, reminisced some small events that, to her, were a little blur. She found it hard to remember the times before she met Kakuzu. Much to her dismay, the day where she saw her first siblings hung up at a stake—their limbs cut off, and the remaining bodies were left there bleeding to death…rotten…and eaten by unforgiving ravens—was the only day of the early years that she could remember.

Nagayoshi was safe from that tragedy. Her natural speed helped her escape from angry and primitive men and women. She couldn't come up with happiness. She couldn't remember if there was joy before Kakuzu came to her life, first as a victim of her solo pick-pocketing debut.

Komushi blinked and one of his eyebrows rose. "_Previous_ brother and sister? What are you talking about?"

"Let's get back, Nagayoshi-kun. See you next time, Komushi-san!" Deidara called, waving his hand at the man. The clay bird flapped its wings and once again rose to the black sky. Komushi was still curious of Nagayoshi's back story, but he had to let it go.

The girl didn't look too fond of thinking about it.

"You almost talk too much, you know, un." Deidara muttered. Should the wind be too strong, Nagayoshi who was sitting behind him wouldn't be able to hear him. "You should thank me for saving you from over-exposing yourself."

Nagayoshi smiled slightly. "You don't seem to trust him much."

"When it comes to pasts with riddles, you shouldn't tell everybody you know immediately after an hour discussing with them, un. I don't even think you can tell your past to someone you know so well. I know only a few people in Akatsuki knows about your background. That doesn't include me, un."

Nagayoshi grimaced and diverted her eyes to the crescent moon gliding above a temple. "Deidara-chan…" she whispered.

"Don't bother, un." Deidara interjected. "I'm not interested in picking someone's long story. I prefer everything short."

Nagayoshi blinked fast. Shortly, a soft smile replaced her dazed look. "Thanks."

**|-oOo-|**

"Nagayoshi-chan…wake up…" a voice called softly.

Snore.

"Nagayoshi-chan~" the voice called again, louder.

A groan came, and continued by a snore.

An indignant grunt, and then…some stench right in front of the nostrils. Whoever owned the stench then pushed the face with absolutely zero politeness. "Wake up, you fucking sleepyhead!" Kakuzu growled. He used his bare foot to wake his sister up.

"What the hell with the foot?" Nagayoshi slapped the tanned foot. She grabbed her pillow and hauled it at Kakuzu. It landed harmlessly on his face and down to the floor. "I'm awake now! What do you want?"

"Get dressed. We got a mission." the brother said. He dropped Nagayoshi's iconic travelling bag on the bed while his sister finally was on her feet.

"What mission?" Nagayoshi asked, followed by a yawn. She opened the wardrobe and picked up her clothes. Kakuzu answered her as she walked toward the bathroom.

"An allying town, Arizuka, requires our help."

Nagayoshi froze, just right when her hand was on the handle of the bathroom door. "Arizuka?" _I was there last night!_ She gulped very carefully, trying not to let either of the two men hear her nervousness. "What kind of help?"

"Well, I know it sounds ridiculous, but they want us to investigate." Kakuzu answered. He was oblivious to Nagayoshi's nervousness as he was busy making up the bed his sister left untidy. But not his partner; Hokko, though unsure, noticed a little anomaly in her voice. He watched her as she slowly disappear into the bathroom.

"That's strange, all right." she replied, almost trailing. Before long, the bathroom door had shut.

Hokko didn't speak to Kakuzu until he was sure Nagayoshi wasn't listening. He approached his partner and to make sure that the girl won't hear a thing, he whispered. "Kakuzu-san," he called softly, "I hate to say this, but I think she's up to something."

The cowboy ninja could see the slight movement of his partner's ears. The mouth, though, said, "Kids are always up to something. Some of them are worth nail-biting."

"Which means we're gonna stick close and watch in case something happens, right?" Hokko injected. He backed away when Kakuzu turned to meet his face.

"Not many talk the way you do, you know? Right, I'm following your suggestion." Kakuzu said, nodding in approval. Just as he was done talking, the thirteen-year-old stepped out of the bathroom. Her face showed more color and the hair beside her face were slightly soaked. Kakuzu nodded to Hokko, who nodded back, and handed Nagayoshi's bag to her.

The three set off to a short two-hour-walk journey.

**|-oOo-|**

Men and women were seen talking in groups. They were discussing about something with their hands (for the ladies) covering their mouths, their shoulders hunched slightly, and their eyes looking to all directions cautiously. One man's rant was more audible than the others, though still in a form of whispers. "This is the beginning of an epidemic! We all have to guard our things from now on! We don't want the same thing as Asakura-san happens to us too!" he said.

The three associates of Akatsuki walked pass the man and his group. Hokko began to wonder. Surely, that man used the wrong word to describe an event. He thought 'epidemic' should be something that spreads like, well, an epidemic—disease, spores, viruses. At first, he thought that man was talking about a plague, but after he said "guard our things" Hokko felt the conversation was not about a natural phenomenon.

"Why did they call Akatsuki for crime investigation? I mean, Akatsuki _are_ criminals." Nagayoshi asked her brother. "So, instead of helping this town, shouldn't we suppose to do otherwise?" She was careful not to spurt the wrong word. Heaven knows what that would cost her.

"Arizuka is an allying town, didn't I tell you?" Kakuzu answered, rolling his eyes.

"Uhm...I must've half-asleep..."

"Anyway, this is still Rain Country's territory. All villages and towns use Akatsuki's service. Only in Rain Country...in this country we _are_ the police." Kakuzu explained. He turned right and it missed his attention that Nagayoshi just swallowed a huge lump of saliva into her throat.

The three of them heard trumpeting sounds as they got closer and closer to their client's house. For a moment, the eldest of the three stopped and turned to face his partner. They exchanged silent words. Kakuzu wondered what or who made those noises. Hokko just shrugged. Nagayoshi stared at the two males, a little irritated that she was ignored. Kakuzu started walking again, leading his partner and sister.

As they made their first step to turn left, they were stopped by violent vibration on the ground. Then, stomping to their way, was a thirteen-foot elephant in yellow and red armor. Both of its ears were expanded, its trunk bended and tusks were faced forward. Kakuzu and Hokko braced themselves to fight the elephant, but the massive animal harmlessly walked through the gap between them and chased for the youngest of the company. Kakuzu and Hokko whipped their heads to watch what the elephant was going to do to the girl.

Kakuzu knew, from the way it stomped, that that long-nosed animal wanted to crush or strangle his sister. He saw the elephant raising its massive foot. Obviously, it wanted to crush Nagayoshi into a crepe. "Nagayoshi, run!" he shouted.

Nagayoshi didn't run, but she did evade by rolling to the side. Her pulse drummed her ears as it accelerated its speed. "What's this elephant's problem?" she complained, shouting, as she jumped when the elephant attacked her again. "I don't bring a flipping peanut with me, okay? Get away!"

The elephant reared back, like a horse. A shiny yellow whip entangled its neck. "Run quick, kiddo!"

"Or why don't you just kill it!" Kakuzu shouted.

"What? Killing animals isn't in my dictionary, okay! Especially that I don't know the motive of this elephant. Maybe I smell like a male elephant and this guy's horny or something—"

"Blazes! Just run, will ya!" Hokko cut her off, still holding the elephant in place.

"Wah!" Nagayoshi jumped off from a fence and pumped her running muscles. The elephant was about to follow her, but it couldn't go as far as five feet, thanks to Hokko's yellow-handled whip. However, this is Hokko we're talking about, not Kisame or even Kakuzu.

"WHOA!" Hokko shouted as the elephant dragged him along with his whip. Kakuzu was left completely dumbstruck. "Kakuzu-san...! Could you do somethin', PLEASE?" Hokko howled as the elephant took him.

Kakuzu snapped back to his conscience and was about to chase after them but a man standing beside him made him stop. The man wore a weird blue overall outfit with white stripe patterns; his feet up to his knees were covered in yellow boots, his hands were covered by gloves of the same color as the boots. On top of his nearly-body-hugging tight jumpsuit (that's what Kakuzu decided to call that outfit), he wore a long red and black tartan motif coat. He had large yellow-glassed goggles protecting his eyes and his hair looked like a broccoli hybridized with a tomato. If Kakuzu ever made a stupid-looking shocked expression, this was the time.

The man whistled; his whistling could be heard up to four hundred yards away in radius. The yellow-armored elephant turned around and trampled back to where it came from, still dragging Hokko along and leaving a sweaty Nagayoshi in confusion.

"Stop, Mama-chan!" the weird man held his hand before him and the elephant stopped. Hokko could finally release his grip. "Behave now, my lady, we don't want to cause more damage to this decent little town." he said, affectionately caressing the elephant's trunk.

Quietly, Nagayoshi made her way back to Kakuzu. The elephant called 'Mama' whipped its large head towards her. The girl sprinted to cower behind Kakuzu. She shrieked, "Why did it try to attack me?"

"Did she?" asked the weird man. The man in jumpsuit walked towards the siblings, hand on his chin. Kakuzu could sense something amiss in this man's head. He wasn't optimistic this man was there to help his group's investigation. "May I ask you something, little lady, have you been to this place less than twenty-four hours ago?"

Nagayoshi made a double take and blinked at the man. "What—what are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Mama-chan's sense of smelling is never wrong; it's even stronger than that of a dog!" he boasted, chin pulled high. "My big girl here doesn't chase anyone at random. She must've smelled you—or your scent that's spread everywhere."

"Are you telling me I need a better soap?" Nagayoshi mockingly asked the strange man. She was about to step forward, burned by his statements, when Kakuzu put himself right in front of her. He stared at the man in jumpsuit close to threatening.

"I don't know what your business here, mister, but I don't like what you're implying about my sister. This town is only two-hour walk away from where we live; she can come by anytime she likes. It's not something you should concern about." Kakuzu said, sending the words with such pressure that he would do damage if denied. If Nagayoshi was that man, she would step back and leave the masked man alone. Unfortunately, that only works for people who can sense emotional aura, and that goggled man was not one.

"Gentlemen, please! This is no time for bickering! My family needs your help!" said a man. He stood near the two nearly-arguing men, rubbing his temple. The man was dressed in white hakama. From his build, one can easily distinguish that he was well-raised. Probably, when he goes out to town, his clothing will be neater and perhaps of higher quality than the clothes worn by most people. Realizing those details, Kakuzu walked off from the argument spot and approached the man who stood at the same height as he. He politely reached out a hand, offering to shake his hand.

"Daiki Asakura-san?" he asked, showing his professional businessman attitude towards the man in hakama.

"Yes. And you are?" he asked back, looking from Kakuzu's eyes down to his dark hand.

"Kakuzu. My team and I were sent by my superior, the God of Amegakure." Kakuzu answered. His hand hadn't descended. He knew after he spoke Pain's famous name that he would receive a handshake.

Daiki Asakura's eyes expanded dramatically and he took Kakuzu's hand, shaking it with a smile on his face. "Ah! At last! I've been waiting for you, Kakuzu-san! I'm sorry if that man caused you and your teammates a trouble. Really, he just came and told his elephant to do investigation on our house. Please, call your teammates and come in."

Kakuzu nodded and called Nagayoshi and Hokko. The cowboy ninja cleaned his cloak and hat as he walked towards the house of their client. Nagayoshi lolled her tongue at the blue jumpsuit man and followed her brother. The goggled man fumed but tried to restrain himself. However, the effort failed. "So that's how you say 'thank you' to someone who is willing to give you free help, eh? Fine!"

"Like what's his problem?" Hokko looked back at the man and his elephant. Arriving at Asakura's entrance, he and his teammates took off their footwear.

Asakura sighed. His face showed exasperation. "He's a guy appearing out of nowhere and settled in this town. He opens this 'lost-and-found' slash 'crime scene investigation' business somewhere in the southern border of the town. Since no one ever asks for his service, sometime ago, he said he would help anyone in need with no charges."

"And that is appearing in the scene uninvited and unwanted, is that it?" Kakuzu finished the story.

"Exactly." Asakura confirmed. "And not rarely did he manage to get some public property heavily damaged and destroyed. All those happened with him chasing the wrong person."

"As expected from a guy with stupid circus costume..." Kakuzu grumbled.

Asakura lead the Akatsuki to the real crime scene, which was his collection room. Kakuzu and Hokko were astonished with his collection. It consisted of five paintings made by famous painters, a man-sized statue of the God of Death made of copper (Asakura said it was forbidden to be displayed anywhere and might bring misfortune, but he didn't believe such myth), ten spears from the ancient times, and others. However, his most prized possession was gone. Last night. It was the katana that, as rumors said, once cut the head of a hideous monster.

Nagayoshi barely listened to the host's words. She knew the story already—Komushi told her before her thievery act last night. While her brother and his partner were listening, Nagayoshi was lost in his thoughts. That man in blue jumpsuit nearly caught her. Asakura may have said that that man usually catches the wrong person. However, he nearly got the right target. She began to reassess her plans. She has a possible stalker that may ruin her career in stealing. She didn't know if he has any ties with anyone opposing Akatsuki. She didn't even know his name, except his elephant's. And looking from his behavior and hearing from stories about that guy, Nagayoshi knew he was the type who wouldn't just step away from a case until he solves it.

_I need a Plan B._

**|-oOo-|**

It contains egg, flour, sugar, salt, and milk, but most importantly, its filling was made of apples crushed together into a paste with honey added to it. Yet, it failed to serve Nagayoshi's high appetite for apple-related pastries. Her hand was on the fork's handle. The fork's prongs stabbed the apple pie's end. However, her head was rested on another hand and her face showed no interest. She looked sick of apples—and that shouldn't be happening.

Nagayoshi loss of appetite almost caused Hokko his. He couldn't enjoy his meal when the youngest of the trio didn't seem to enjoy it, especially when it was an _apple_ pie she was supposed to be eating. He lowered his bald head to look at the girl, concern scribbled all over his face. "Nagayoshi-chan? You've only poked the pie. Don't you want it?"

"Six hundred Ryou, Nagayoshi." Kakuzu added.

Nagayoshi snapped her head up. She smiled to Hokko, a little tense. "Ah...uh...I'm sorry, Hokko-san. I was just...spacing out. Here I go!" she said, taking her first bite of the apple pie. She smiled again after she swallowed it. "Mmm...! That was delicious! You should try some, Hokko-san!"

"How could you space out in front of an apple pie? You usually prioritize apples more than anything. Are you...inclined to another fruit?" Kakuzu asked, raising a cup of black tea to his stitched mouth.

"Wh-what? No way! My heart is always for apples! I'm not saying that oranges taste bad, but apples are number one!"

"And what's with the stammers?" Kakuzu kept asking. "It made me feel that you're..." Kakuzu paused. He was thinking whether he should say those words lining behind his teeth or not. He felt Hokko's eyes watching him, anticipating. In front of him, Nagayoshi was waiting. He then carried on, "...that you're...in love."

The next bite of pie went to the wrong way; instead of going to her stomach, it went for lungs. She hit her chest with her fist, coughing brutally. It took her a while until she could digest properly again. She punched the upper arm of her brother, causing him to wince. "Don't say such stupid things, Oniisan! You almost killed me..."

"Oh please...you're overacting." Kakuzu rolled his eyes.

Hokko was laughing at the brother and sister pair when he spotted a new person entering the diner he, Kakuzu and Nagayoshi was eating at. He cleared his throat and muttered, "Mask up, Kakuzu-san."

Kakuzu blinked. "What?"

"Blue Jumpsuit comin'."

"Shit." Kakuzu hissed and he hurriedly placed his mask before his nose and mouth. Just in time as the goggled man stood before their table.

"Having a nice snack in our town's best diner, folks?" he asked, grinning.

"Unless you're here to provoke me into gouging your eyeballs, I suggest you leave and sit on your own seat." Kakuzu replied.

The man in blue jumpsuit chuckled. "No, no, no! I come here in peace. Actually, I want to apologize for accusing your little sister. Clearly, I wasn't thinking." he said with a smile directed to Nagayoshi who had stopped eating her apple pie. There was still more than half piece of it.

"Hell yeah, you didn't." Kakuzu said coldly.

"Oh, and I haven't introduced myself. My name's Akobu Asobu. I'm this town's number one—"

"Are you finished?" Kakuzu cut his extended introduction. His jade eyes glared at his yellow-goggled ones. His red sclera promoted the glare's demonic qualities. "We have to go back to our base and we'd love it if you don't follow us or get in the way of our mission. You might not be the only one getting my rage fit." Kakuzu spilled his poisonous threat right to Akobu's face. Akobu held a gulp; he never came across a man this terrifying in terms of killing intents.

Kakuzu slammed an amount of money on the table before standing up to leave. "Hokko. Nagayoshi." he called. Hokko put on his hat, lifting it slightly once as a farewell to Akobu while Nagayoshi carried the remaining apple pie in her hands before following Kakuzu exit the diner.

Akobu sighed. He pulled his yellow goggles up to his forehead before pinching his nose bridge. A rough nudge struck him on the back. A dark-skinned fat lady—the owner of the diner—grunted at him. "Nice work driving my customers mad, jackass. Thank god he left more than enough money to pay his meal." She grabbed the money Kakuzu left near his cup of tea and stuffed it into her pocket. "Now why don't you just get the shit out of my diner and mind your own elephant shit-cleaning business?" she snapped at him before leaving with the dirty plates in a tray she carried.

"Alrighty..." said the man in blue jumpsuit. "I'll mind my own investigation."

* * *

**RETURN TO ME, O SWEET WRITING PASSION!**

**I'm so glad this chapter turn out okay. I don't know why I hardly write anymore. This is bad—especially that I'm actually SERIOUS in becoming a writer (that's why I'm taking English Literature in uni). I'm so sorry, guys, for the terribly slow update. I really am trying to write the chapters down but I'm so easy to get distracted. T^T**

**I start to write using ZenWriter now. It's a (self-proclaimed) distraction-free writing software. It's got a calm and cozy background picture with a zen music playing in the background. I don't use the music much since it's making me sleepy more than focused; instead, I turn on an online solo piano radio from iTunes. The next chapter is entirely written in ZenWriter. But because the program has no page mark, that's why I'll write one chapter at a time, copy it to MS Word for spell-checking and grammar check, then copy it here.**

**You might feel like the plot's getting faster starting from here. I am trying to speed up things a little. I try to write longer chapters after this. This one is 11 MS Word pages.**

**Thanks for your patience, guys. I can't believe you guys are actually willing to wait such slow updates. You guys are awesome! :')  
**

_Next: Nagayoshi and Deidara decide to change their plan. Though Akobu promised not to get in Kakuzu's way, he does get in Nagayoshi's. The classic phantom thief-captor chase begins!_


	5. The Last Thing She Wants

**Chapter 5: The Last Thing She Wants**

* * *

When not in mood to blast stuffs up and wasting chakra to make ammunition, Deidara usually does something else that is still making figurines. Instead of making figurines from chakra-enhanced clay, he creates them using everyday beige clay. He sealed his mouthed hands with plastic gloves. This natural clay was not like his special clay. Since his clay bombs are made by the mouths in his hands, they contain the same bacteria-his bacteria-hence, he needs not to worry about getting sick of 'eating' clays. Normal clay, however, contains different kind of bacteria that may be harmful to his body. He won't risk bedridden by his own hobby.

Deidara was just about to finish constructing the tail for the clay cat he had been making for the last four hours. However, before he finished, he was disturbed by a series of knockings on the door. He grunted. "I'm busy, un!" he snapped at the door.

"Deidara-chan! Let me in!" the subdued voice of Nagayoshi pleaded.

Deidara blinked fast, confused. He thought she was on a mission with Kakuzu and Hokko. He wondered why she got back so fast. He got up to his legs and strode towards the door. "Alright, alright. I'm comin', un." he replied.

"Hurry up, will ya?"

Deidara's face crumpled into a scowl. _What's with the hurry, un? It's not like there's a tsunami chasing her ass-unless it took Kisame's form._ He growled, "Alright, un! Will you just chill out?" He opened the door and Nagayoshi dashed inside his room. He was almost flung away by her brisk entry. Luckily, he held the door knob firm enough to help him sustain his footing. "Dude! What's with the—aah!" he screeched when Nagayoshi, with her lightning speed, shut the door. "What are you doing?" he complained.

"Be quiet!" Nagayoshi retorted. She sighed heavily. Every breath she took and blew was hard and ragged. The gleam on her eyes was stern, staring at Deidara like he was guilty of something. She let herself sit downright on Deidara's floor before beginning. "We made a wrong move last night, Deidara-chan." she said, her arms and legs crossed.

"What do you mean, un?" Deidara asked. He stepped away from the door and sat in front of the girl, chin suspended by one of his palms. He opened his ears.

Nagayoshi told her one-month-and-two-weeks new friend everything that happened in the town Arizuka, where her brother's division was assigned to investigate a crime scene. Deidara made the same tensed expression as Nagayoshi when she first heard of the mission. Nagayoshi then got to the part where she was suspected by the weird jumpsuit-clad man, Akobu Asobu (Deidara had his head on the floor in a joyous series of laughter).

"Now we need a new plan. Obviously, we need to work outside Rain Country's territory. That way we don't have to face Akatsuki as our enemy." Nagayoshi suggested.

"But every town outside Rain Country is a one-day journey!" Deidara objected, although he quite agreed on not making his seniors enemies. "How are you supposed to get there back and forth in less than, at least, two hours? Unless..."

"Unless we're flying! That's why I need your help, Deidara-chan!" Nagayoshi grinned. "What is your fastest design?" she asked.

Deidara cupped his chin, racking every neuron cell his brain reserves. "Let me see, un... I have three types of speed clay birds. There's the swallow, the albatross and the eagle. The swallow is a no, un. It's more useful for a quick sweep over an area, plus its size can't possibly carry any of us." Deidara shook his head, eliminating the swallow type from the list. "Both albatross and eagle are quite big to carry both of us. Overall, I think they have more or less the same power."

"Take the albatross." Nagayoshi said. Deidara looked at her with a slanted eyebrow. "Trust me. Albatross has longer wings and they're pretty durable."

"I guess you're right, un." Deidara admitted. "I was about to choose that one."

"Well, you're late, Deidara-chan." Nagayoshi replied with giggle. "Now...how about targets...? I know the towns around there, but I don't know about the citizens. And I think we have to target on someone smaller by material. It's to make my appearance less conspicuous."

"Whatsa matter, un? That elephant circus trainer chickened you out? C'mon! Aim higher, un! Well, maybe not too high, but not the easy ones." Deidara nudged Nagayoshi on the upper arm. It was his turn to tease her around.

"I'm not chickened out!" Nagayoshi retorted, her face flushed. "I just don't like seeing him and being chased around by his elephant again."

"That IS what you call chickened out, un." Deidara deadpanned.

"It's not! If his elephant chases me, not only I might lose my life, but she might wake everybody in the neighborhood up. Worse still, she might kill someone innocent." Nagayoshi reasoned. Her brain successfully brought up just reasons for her to use. However, Deidara also has his own creativity.

"Since when you care about random people being killed or not?" Deidara questioned dryly. "Of course, if we still rob from Rain Country's towns, then you should concern. But we're talking about towns _OUT_side the territory."

"Alright! Alright!" Nagayoshi whined. "We'll be completely heartless! I get it! Now how about locations?"

Deidara smirked. He walked to his working table and grabbed a large roll of parchment. He unrolled it like a carpet on the floor, and the world unfolded before the two teenagers' eyes. "Leave it to the Deidara-dono, un." he said.

**|-oOo-|**

A sigh just couldn't hide from the back of his throat. Kakuzu sighed. The middle of his forehead crumpled as he pinched the bridge of his long define-curved nose. Meanwhile, his partner has more or less the same feeling as he, but Hokko has more patience. Years and years of dealing with children in their rebellious years shaped his patient personality.

"She oversleeps...again." he grumbled through his teeth.

Hokko tried to reason with his partner. "It was a long walk yesterday. I guess it's normal for her to get really tired." he said.

"This meddling kid has walked miles and miles, from one country to another, for years with me! What we did yesterday was nothing! It was just six hours! She used to walk 12 hours straight!" Kakuzu ranted heatedly. "And she wakes up when the sun rises..." he hissed.

"Please, Kakuzu-san. Don't get angry too soon, now. Maybe she hasn't been able to rest lately. Or...she could be sick..." Hokko slowly turned his head to the sleeping girl. "Couldn't she...?"

"If you're unsure, why don't you check for yourself?" Kakuzu huffed. He crossed his arms and stared bitterly at his sister.

Hokko squatted and turned his face to Kakuzu, flashing a slightly mocking smirk at the masked shinobi. "You're so dishonest with yourself, you know."

Kakuzu's eyes, the only part of his face that is unmasked, flinched. He grunted; he wanted to retort but he found himself out of defensive words. He threw his face away when Hokko chuckled and put his palm on Nagayoshi's forehead. At which point, the girl opened her eyes.

"Whoops. Am I wakin' you up, girl?" Hokko asked the now aroused Nagayoshi.

"Kinda, yeah." She rubbed her eyes and looked up to her brother. The tall dark-skinned man stared back at her, waiting. Nagayoshi's eyelids flapped open in that instant. "I'm late, aren't I? Geez, Oniisan, I'm sorry! I was just so tired..." she yawned before she got to complete her last sentence.

"What were you doing last night?" Kakuzu asked sourly.

Nagayoshi's brain immediately searched for reasons. "I woke up in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep for the next couple of hours. I didn't want to wake you guys up, so I decided to take a little walk. Then I found a cave, and in that cave—"

"Okay, that's enough." Kakuzu interjected. "Let's get going. You can eat your apple while we're walking."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Putting the bag on her back, Nagayoshi followed the two men's footsteps. She inwardly sighed. She kept on lying to Kakuzu and she had been doing it for eleven days now. In those eleven days, she had been going back and forth from her camp to the town where she initiated her thieving plan. Deidara came to pick her up every midnight, around ten minutes before the moon reached its highest peak on the sky. Both of them left a kagebunshin on their camp, tricking their teammates' eyes.

However, the downside of the plan was every night Nagayoshi returned with absolute exhaustion. And when she's exhausted, she would sleep longer than she usually does. That was probably the only weakness she had trouble with so far. The local authorities were clueless. They were stumped. The phantom lived up to her name. She made no trace whatsoever. Nobody had ever seen her; nobody knew the phantom was actually a thirteen-year-old girl, soon to become fourteen; nobody could find any piece of DNA of her. She was really a phantom.

A phantom with an apple addiction and quick hands, like a hummingbird.

**|-oOo-|**

The squirrel made a double take and dashed into its nest. A long grey creature slithered between branches that served the squirrel's nest as a roof. The long grey creature has two big holes right on its front. Air rushed in and out of it. It made snorting sound which only scared the squirrel more. Before long, the grey creature retreated. It climbed down easily and hung upside down for a while before pointing to a direction as it rose to the air.

"Over there?" Akobu asked his female elephant partner. The elephant named Mama trumpeted to confirm her finding. A smirk grew on Akobu's face. He chortled as he climbed up to Mama's back with the help of her trunk.

"Maybe I can't bust criminals in Arizuka because it's just not my destiny to be successful there. Arizuka isn't the only place that needs help; other villages too! Let's go, Mama! We'll search for that mysterious thief that had been lurking around these days!" With gusto, he pointed at the designated direction. Mama began stomping, trekking through the invisible trail of scent.

Akobu still couldn't forget that day—eleven days ago—near Daiki Asakura's house. It was the first time a clueless crime has ever been committed in Arizuka. In a murder case, the murderer always left a piece of evidence, no matter how insignificant they may look. But the night before that, a thief came and stole Asakura's most precious treasure. Asakura wasn't the type of person who would discuss about his treasures. Everybody knows, though, that he likes to collect valuable stuffs.

Akobu's downside was that nobody in the town lets him go inside their house. It was all due to his reputation of occasionally heavily damaging public property for false charges. And because he couldn't get into anyone's house, he couldn't execute a proper crime scene investigation. His only weapon was his beloved elephant. Growing up in a circus, with his father being the elephant tamer, he first met Mama as one of the youngest elephant in the herd. They grew up together and even separated from their family together.

It was during his teenage life did Akobu was so interested in crime-fighting. He liked the idea of being a hero. He liked the idea of having eyes looking at him adoringly. Being in a circus may grant him that kind of treatment too, but he didn't want to be treated as a clown. He wanted to be a hero who would risk his life to save others. That was why he decided to stay in Arizuka and open a helping service for people in need. Unfortunately, his unprofessional, clowny appearance helped putting his finance in jeopardy.

He almost lost hope when the thievery spread like an epidemic to towns outside of Rain Country. He saw this as an opportunity to re-build his reputation—that appearance does not affect one's performance. He will prove that even a guy wearing a blue tight jumpsuit with yellow goggles and boots can still bust crimes.

"Next town is..."

**|-oOo-|**

"Kinusu!" Nagayoshi exclaimed, grinning as she watched the lights from said town shimmering fifty meters below her. "Man, I can't wait to steal again! Hey, Deidara-chan, I think I'm getting good at it!"

"I thought you already are, un?" Deidara asked.

"Well, yeah, but only in crowded places. It's a common place for thieves actually. When a place is really crowded and nobody can see exactly what you're doing, it's the best place to pickpocket. You know what, actually, before I get money from selling dead bounties' weapons, I still pickpocket people's wallet." Nagayoshi said, eyes gleaming with glee from remembering those mischievous times.

"Didn't you say you were bad at pickpocketing, un? Isn't that why you acted as a decoy before that?"

"I was. I haven't finished; I started to pickpocket people's wallet again after I learned about ninjutsu, especially shunshin. I also tend to target on non-ninjas. Having a cautious criminal as a brother gives you quite handy advices on spotting which is ninja and which is citizen."

Deidara smirked. "I'm pretty sure your brother don't know how devilish you actually are." Deidara said to Nagayoshi. "He'd be pretty shocked."

Nagayoshi smiled back, but it wasn't a bright one, and Deidara saw it. Too obvious to be unseen. Deidara's smirk disappeared in a blink of an eye too. He wondered if he said something wrong. He wondered whether she was that burdened with this hiding her secret identity agenda from her brother. But Deidara's wasn't mistaken when he saw that lust for adventure in her eyes when she first heard of his tales terrorizing places with bombs. He was very sure that this was the kind of adventure Nagayoshi had been yearning for.

"You okay, un? You don't look pretty happy."

"Deidara-chan," she called him softly. It was almost impossible to hear due to the loud wind, but he could see his name being called by reading her mouth. "Do you think my brother will be proud of me if he finds out that I'm the thief who stole that sword?"

"Nagayoshi-kun," Deidara called her name, louder than her calling his. "I didn't know you're that concerned."

"I didn't tell you back then, but Oniisan was very furious when we blew up Sasori-san's door." Nagayoshi said. "And when he's seriously pissed off, he could blindly kill someone. He nearly killed Hokko-san..."

"Are you telling me that you're afraid that when Kakuzu finds out about this he'll kill you out of anger?"

Nagayoshi rubbed both of her arms. She bit her lip. "Well...something like that...I suppose. I'm just so afraid what his reaction'll be."

Deidara huffed. "Well, then don't let him find out, un! He taught you how to be cautious, right? Then use it, un!"

The clay bird descended; flapping its wings a few times to keep itself flying. Deidara turned to the girl again; this time, more serious. "Mask up, Nagayoshi-kun!" he shouted. "There's your target!"

Nagayoshi bended her body a little to look at the house she was supposed to rob. Like any rich person's house, this house has a vast garden with a fish pond. She closed her eyes for a second. She breathed in deeply and then blew it out slowly. She repeated several times until her heart was no longer bothered and her focus was no longer distracted. She pulled her headgear and mask up, and stood up on the soaring clay bird.

"See you in twenty minutes, Deidara-chan!" she said before she plunged into the dimmed shimmer of the neighborhood.

Deidara watched as her black-clad figure disappeared in the darkness. He smiled. "Good to see her get over her concerns quickly! Now, me too, un." Deidara put on his own face cover. The only parts of his head that were visible were his eyes, his long bangs covering his left eye, and his ponytail. Although there wasn't much for him to do, but he has to keep his guard up. He may endanger himself and Nagayoshi if somebody saw his face.

**|-oOo-|**

The phantom thief girl spread her arms and legs as she fell down, swimming in the vast night sky. Her eyes were focused at the house below her, but her mind was flying somewhere else. Truthfully, she couldn't get the problem out of her mind. That time where she made her brother angry haunted her. It wasn't yet the climax; the real thing was far worse than that. She never told anyone; not even her longest and closest friend while she stayed with Akatsuki, Kisame. Kakuzu didn't tell either. A small event made a big impact for the two.

It was just two weeks after Nagayoshi's first kill. Kakuzu found a bounty and caught him with almost no struggle at all. He then brought the body to the nearest bounty exchange counter. By the time the siblings arrived, a man was there, exchanging bounty as well. But much to their surprise, the dead man was the same. The capturers demanded an explanation. The exchanger gave them a made-up explanation; Kakuzu knew that he didn't even know why there could be two bounties. Shrugging the problem off, Kakuzu demanded his reward. But the exchanger said:

_"No can do, buddy. This guy came first before you do. Plus, he comes from a wealthy family, unlike you. You may be good in getting bounties, but you're just low-class filthy stray dog."_

It was unacceptable for Kakuzu. He dropped the bounty he caught and slammed the exchanger with an extended forearm. The other bounty hunter protested, but he got his jaws crushed by Kakuzu's superhuman fist. He bellowed like a dragon as he satisfied his violent rage's thirst. He twisted a neck, snapped off an arm and a leg, and crushed ribs until they punctured the lungs. Unbeknownst to him, his adoptive sister cowered at the back corner of the room as she witnessed something far more horrifying than her first killing attempt. The dismembered limbs reminded her of her worst nightmare. And the bloodshot eyes of her brother...she had never seen anything like that before.

When the rage ceased, Kakuzu panted, trying to calm himself down. It felt good to have let go of his emotion. And then he heard something. At the corner of the room, frightened and whimpering, was his sister. Her hands were over her head, guarding it. With slow trod, he approached the little girl. He reached out his hand and was surprised to see how thickly smothered with blood it was. He pulled back the idea of touching her with those bloody hands. He bit his lip under his mask. He then muttered, _"I'm terribly sorry, Nagayoshi."_

And the last thing Nagayoshi wants is to die in Kakuzu's rage-blinded hands. Yet, she didn't stop stealing. There was something conflicting inside her that made her persevere in her personal mission. I have to do this, she said to herself.

She landed on the rooftop, rolling to subdue the impact. Her padded shoes made her arrival sound like a rat passing by. A cat who was strolling on the roof before she came sprinted away, hissing at her first. Nagayoshi crawled down the roof like a lizard. She peeked around and saw two guards standing before a door. The door looked just like any other door, yet it has guards. The phantom thief knew she was just a step away from her jackpot.

She contemplated for a while, organizing her schemes. She peeked again and tried to discern whether those two guards were ninjas or not. She opened her sensors, trying to determine through their chakra level. She could feel the electromagnetic field from them, but barely, meaning they have very little chakra. The spreading is also bad. It seems like their chakra is uncontrolled or untrained.

Under her mask, she grinned. Not ninjas. She crawled to another corner of the house and carefully landed on the second floor's balcony, unbeknownst to the guards. She looked around, looking for any source of electricity. Unfortunately, she found none. _Well, I guess I have to spend a little tonight._ She opened one of her gloves. She brought her index finger to the thumb, making her hand looked like she was holding a small toothpick. She sent chakra through both fingers and electricity formed a line in the gap her fingers left.

Briskly, she came out of her hiding place and attacked the two guards. She gave them no time to react as she shot two electrifying needles to both guards. They both fell to the floor, unconscious. Having put her glove back on, Nagayoshi stepped between them and opened the treasure vault. To her surprise, it wasn't a treasure vault.

It was the master bedroom.

"Shit..." she whispered. She checked the room's inhabitant. The owner of this large house was a woman, and a beautiful one. She seemed to be sleeping. That little fact eased Nagayoshi a little but she wouldn't take any chances; she kept her guard up.

In the pitch darkness, Nagayoshi tried to find what she was assigned to steal. She immediately knew where she should search. That would be the dresser. Her target that night was a necklace. It wasn't gold, or silver, or bronze, or even pearl. The string was an ordinary necklace chain but the amulet itself was something with a mythical and historical background.

The Eye of the Fire Oni. It is a circular red stone, with the diameter of four-and-a-half centimeters. The red color is more vivid than ruby and it even shines slightly in the darkness. She opened the dresser and dug through glass containers of perfumes and cosmetics until she found a thick carton box. The darkness prevented her from knowing the color of the box, but it seemed to be vermilion. Carefully, she opened it and The Eye glared at her.

"Hold it, right there!" growled a feminine voice behind her. Nagayoshi felt something thin and hard pressed against her cloth-covered neck. "Put that box back or you'll lose your head with one slash of my sword." she threatened.

Nagayoshi didn't move; she didn't run or put the box back. She just stood. And then some muscles moved, "You knew I was coming?" she asked. She made her voice sound deeper than it already had. Nagayoshi's voice was quite heavy for a girl to begin with. Deepening it makes her sound tenor.

"All of your previous victims were my friends. Don't you know that? A phantom thief as good as you must've known that every mythical object owners are friends, though not necessarily close." she said. "Didn't you plan those thieveries beforehand?"

"I did." Nagayoshi answered. She still obeyed the woman's order to freeze. "But I was too lazy to learn about your petty friendship."

"Fair enough. Now, didn't I tell you to put the box back? Do it!" she threatened again, bracing her sword with both hands.

"You're pretty mean, aren't you?" Nagayoshi asked. The sword's tension beside her neck loosened as the woman grew curious of what she said. "Aren't you worried about your guards?"

The woman whipped her head to the door that Nagayoshi left opened. She saw the two men, lying down on the wooden floor. None of them was moving. She gasped and returned her face to Nagayoshi who faced her while she was distracted and her sword no longer touched her neck. She snarled, infuriated. "You...you can't...you can't possibly kill them!"

"Look again." Nagayoshi coldly answered. "Isn't it obvious?"

The woman's eyes dilated in shock at Nagayoshi's confession. She raised her blade, wanting to cut Nagayoshi in half. "Unforgivable!" she shouted. She swung her sword, but the phantom thief was no longer standing in front of her. She vanished. The woman gasped.

Nagayoshi appeared behind her and karate-chopped her nape, knocking the woman unconscious. The fingers that hold the blade loosened instantly. Nagayoshi stored the small box under her shirt and stepped out of the room. She looked to all directions, scoping at the perimeter and the guards lying on the ground. Who knows; they might come up to their senses and Nagayoshi would need to silence either of them again. She hopped and climbed to the roof. On top, her breath became ragged.

She dashed from roof to roof. Her hand constantly on her stomach, keeping the treasure still under her shirt despite knowing that it wouldn't go anywhere. As she ran, her mind ran too, but not on the same path as her body. She wondered if either Hokko or Kakuzu found out that the Nagayoshi sleeping with them was just a clone. What would they do if they find out?

Her feet landed on top of an electricity pole. She squatted and buried her face in her hands. Teeth grinding against each other. _What's wrong with me? Why am I so scared? _she asked herself. Those had been the same question she asked to herself over and over again for the last few days. _It's okay, Nagayoshi. Oniisan will understand. He will..._ And her eyes felt hot and her head whirled. _I hope..._

In amidst of her stormy emotion, a massive bulk of brawns crashed onto the pole she was standing on. Before she fell along with the pole, she jumped down. She looked at the unfortunate electricity pole and saw all the lights in the town vanished. What was dark turned darker. Nagayoshi quickly activated her sensors. It was the only way for her to locate her attacker.

Luckily, she was already in the outskirts of the town. She quickly scampered into the woods, luring her powerful attacker to come with her. As she ran, the ground shook. It brought memories back to Nagayoshi's head. The memory wasn't one belonged to the distant past. It was merely twelve days ago.

_Akobu?_ She hissed. _Why do I have to meet that freak again?_ she complained in her head. She thought by stealing outside Rain Country's territory she could avoid this man. But looks like her activity has an invisible pheromone to lure hero wanna-be's to get her. She hopped onto a tree and climbed up to the top. She hurriedly looked for Deidara's clay bird. She had to escape that instant.

"Asobu Elephant Soccer Attack!" a man shouted in a pitch that defeated even the chattiest kookaburra. Nagayoshi turned around and was on time to block an object zapping to her way with her arms crossing. Unexpectedly, the object's force was hard enough to push her off from her footing. It was indeed a soccer ball, but twice larger than the normal one. Twice heavier too.

Nagayoshi growled and punched the ball back. The ball rocketed upwards and smacked a suddenly-appearing man on the face. The thief's eyes skewed. She punched the ball so she won't end up with it crushing her bones against the ground. How was she supposed to know that the ball's launcher himself would suddenly appear hopping right in the ball's track?

She landed safely, one knee to the ground. Two meters in front of her, Akobu fell ungraciously. The thief girl got up to her feet and braced a stance, ready to attack should Akobu start first.

"Ow..." Akobu winced, rising to his feet. The first thing he saw in front of him was a short person covered in all black. If it wasn't because of the moonlight shining on that person, Akobu wouldn't have seen anyone. Quickly, he made an offensive state, only to fail to look offensive. "You!" he pointed at the thief. "You're the little prick that's been stealing people's stuffs! Now I stand before you and you'll go with me to jail!"

Nagayoshi smirked. "Sorry, I'm not interested having a cellmate like you. I don't really like confined spaces to begin with anyway."

"It's you who's going to jail, not me!" Akobu angrily corrected his meaning. His hand dashed to his belt. Nagayoshi braced herself again, thinking Akobu was about to grab a weapon. Unfortunately, Nagayoshi brought no weapons. It would be hard for her to work with a pocket full of heavy shuriken and kunai. Akobu whipped his arm again and in his hand, he held a blade. A thin and light blade. At which point, Nagayoshi regretted for making her heart beat faster.

"What are you planning to do with that toy?" Nagayoshi asked, pointing a lazy finger at the sword.

"It's not a toy, idiot! It's a sword!"

"Yeah. A fifty percent harmless, one hundred percent breakable sword." she deadpanned. Her words struck lightning to Akobu's larger-than-life ego. Amusedly, she watched the man slumped and straighten up again with a renewed ego. Her eyes, though, foresaw something else. "Heads up, afro."

"Right. Like that's gonna work on me—" A head-smashing fall of a soccer ball later, Akobu dropped to the ground again. Elephants fluttered around his head.

Nagayoshi restrained an urge to guffaw at his miserable state. She muttered, "Idiot." and hopped away again. She thought at least Akobu's elephant would pursue her, but she did not. She smiled in satisfaction.

The wind rushed harder on top of her a few minutes later. The wide-winged albatross of clay soared above her. Soon afterwards, a long-haired blond reached out a hand. Nagayoshi smiled and took it. Deidara pulled her up to his ride and the albatross rose to the sky.

"You okay, un? The lights suddenly went out and I couldn't see a thing, so I have to fly low." said Deidara.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Nagayoshi answered. She looked at where the unconscious Akobu was and her eyes turned stern. "But we gotta have to be more careful from now on." she added.

* * *

**This chapter is presented to you by: ZenWriter!**

**Sheesh…it's really hard to make time for writing during this lousy schedule. All of my lessons take place in the afternoon, save for Saturday (can you believe that? I have classes on fucking _Saturday!_), leaving me exhausted at the end of the day. Literature ain't easy. That's where ZenWriter comes in. It helps me focus by eliminating the shiny buttons on the toolbar. I just downloaded its counterpart, OmmWriter and I'm going to test which one of these is better.**

**Again, I tell you, I wanna make this arc move fast so I can get to the part that has been howling for appearance and remove it from my head. Perhaps I should write it on paper first…. The next chapter will start a few days after the end of this one. Deal with it.**

_Next: Akobu receives an unexpected back-up. Meanwhile, Nagayoshi receives an unexpected inspiration for her incomplete technique. Both shall shape the future of her and those related to her._


	6. The Four Bounty Hunters

**Chapter 6: The Four Bounty Hunters**

* * *

The hands shook and Nagayoshi could thank the deities for not letting her apple disappear before the whole exchange business came to an end. She and the two Akatsuki members may not be exchanging under a room filled with frozen pig carcass like last time, but waiting for her brother in the bounty exchange portal has never been something she enjoys. She never dragged Kakuzu or Hokko to the weaponry exchange portal.

"Your work has always been very outstanding, Kakuzu-dono. From all the other bounty hunters, your success rate is the highest." praised the exchanger—a lady around her forties with big round glasses and a red hair put into a pair of thin braids. The top of her head only managed to catch up to Kakuzu's lower torso. Even Nagayoshi was an eye taller than her.

"Years of practice." answered the masked shinobi without the usage of tone. He held out a hand, silently demanding for his reward. The woman, done counting all the money, closed the briefcase and heaved it to Kakuzu's hand. Soon, her arms were all over Kakuzu's right one. Nagayoshi almost choked on her apple.

She fixed her round glasses and stared up to the masked man. "You know, Kakuzu-dono, this town is pretty famous for its eel cuisines. I say why don't we—and I mean the both of us—come and give the eel fried rice a taste? I will gladly feed you with my spoon if you wa-aah!"

Kakuzu had taken his arm off from her, leaving her almost tumbling to the concrete floor. The redness covering her cheek apples disappeared the moment she lost grip of Kakuzu's muscular arms. She blinked quickly, nearly couldn't comprehend what was happening while she was musing.

"I appreciate your holiday suggestion, but I'm not in a holiday right now. Still have a lot of field work to do, but after that, I don't know. I might give it a try. If it fits to my wallet's liking, of course." Kakuzu said, walking out with his partner and sister following behind him. He didn't turn or wave back at the woman, though Hokko (quite a Casanova he was) said his farewell to the woman by lifting his cowboy hat. All that Nagayoshi wanted was to get out of that place.

The girl couldn't stop looking back. She feared that woman might have followed them out. It wasn't the first time she and Kakuzu had been to that town. And what was the first time for Nagayoshi was certainly not the first time for Kakuzu. Apparently, the masked shinobi had been there several times before he found Nagayoshi. Nagayoshi had asked about that woman's antics and she learned from her brother that when he first made business with her, she was all stutters and shivers. Nagayoshi's goose bumps stood stiffer than when the time she read a horror story she found in a magazine.

Much to the girl's dismay, Hokko brought it up again. "I know there's gotta be one or two, but I never thought a lass like her would be the one who's attracted to you the most. You even gave her hope, partner. Was that just for formality or somethin'?"

"You could say so." Kakuzu answered. That answer didn't satisfy Nagayoshi's insecurity. "Is that you criticizing her qualities or what?" the masked man asked back.

"Nah, man. Every women has their beauty. Of course, it's not at the same amount with others, but each of them has it." Hokko answered. He slipped back the cigar inside his mouth and inhaled the smoke.

"Fine. Then may I ask: whose amount is higher, Konan or that one before?" Kakuzu asked again. The next thing that made sound was Hokko, coughing and wheezing. He turned, seeing Hokko hunched over, punching his constricted chest. Somehow, he managed to save his precious Cuban cigar.

Nagayoshi patted the hat-clad man gently. "You okay, Hokko-san?" she asked, though it was clear that he didn't look too well. She turned to her brother. "You just know how to end an argument, don't you?"

Kakuzu shrugged indifferently. "Well, the topic supports the argument. I can't see why I can't use the advantage for my own gain."

Nagayoshi sighed. Out of the blue, the air around the threesome rumbled. It wasn't loud in general measures, but it was for them. Hokko and Kakuzu turned their head. Blushing and pigeon-toed, Nagayoshi chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, um, can we, uh...eat somewhere?" she asked.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes, not hiding his exasperation through a heavy sigh. Hokko chuckled lightheartedly and stood up straight. He approached the masked shinobi. "I guess we can use some rest and fill our tummies, doncha agree, Kakuzu-san?" he asked, landing a calloused hand on Kakuzu's shoulder with an obvious convincing manner.

"Don't touch me," Kakuzu growled.

"Hey! What did she propose you to try again? Eel fried rice or somethin'? How about we give it a try?" Hokko suggested. Kakuzu was too slow to object it.

"Agreed!" Nagayoshi chirped. "C'mon, 'Niisan! It's not every day we get to eat an eel fried rice, right?"

Defeated two on one, Kakuzu had no choice but to oblige. As the arms of his sister pulled him and his legs along to the one and only place selling eel fried rice, he hissed to Hokko, "You pay her part as well. I won't give a shit on what you say."

Before long, Kakuzu had found himself sitting, facing away from the crowd as always. Both Nagayoshi and Hokko sat across him. They grinned triumphantly. The two of them ordered the restaurant's specialty while Kakuzu ordered a simple plate of curry rice. The three of them enjoyed their meal; two expressed their delight through their voice.

Nagayoshi once scooped a spoonful of Kakuzu's curry rice. Her mouth opened wide and the spoon flew into her mouth. Kakuzu watched her chew the curry rice. With each movement of the jaw, her cheeks reddened and reddened. It was amusing to watch her childish antics that automatically appeared whenever she was eating something delicious. Her favorite food may always be the apple, but her tongue and stomach welcomed more variety of tastes.

A reddish brown blob of curry nestled on the side of her cheek. Kakuzu smirked, holding down a laugh. _Really,_ he thought, _she could eat cleaner than this_. His dark fingers grabbed a napkin beside him and he leaned forward. His arm was almost raised, but he stopped. Hokko had dabbed the stain clean from her cheek ahead of him. Kakuzu blinked and the smirk that was on his face faded. He leaned back and watched at the view across him.

Hokko may be seventy, but he has the physique of someone in his mid-forties. That made him a suitable father figure, as he was in the place where he belonged. He had always been so gentle, especially to children and teenagers. Even to the masked shinobi, he was gentle. It was still unclear to Kakuzu why such a kind man could kill people to save children. Why did he value children so much? He never let himself ask that question.

Kakuzu looked at his own hands. He studied the color of his skin: coffee tan. He glanced to the color of Nagayoshi's skin. Latte tan. So much different from his color, but that was not surprising. He and Nagayoshi were not blood siblings. But the skin near Nagayoshi at that moment picked on Kakuzu's brain. Hokko's skin color sort of resembled Nagayoshi's, only slightly darker. But they have the same hue. Kakuzu was never a racist, but for a moment, he thought that Hokko and Nagayoshi might be related somehow.

Kakuzu wasn't sure how he could come up with that thought. Their face didn't resemble, so that would be impossible. Yet Kakuzu couldn't help but feeling defeated. Hokko was someone he never could become.

"Oniisan..." Nagayoshi called. Kakuzu blinked out of his musing and stared at his sister confusedly. She was glaring at the entrance, making her look like a guard dog. "Wear your mask, Oniisan." she said.

"Yup, she's right!" Hokko agreed and motioned the older shinobi to pull up his mask.

Without further ado, Kakuzu fixed his mask, mind still wondering why the atmosphere intensified all of a sudden. He didn't need to wonder for long.

A gasp, and then... "Ka-Kakuzu-dono!" a female voice squealed. Nagayoshi gritted her teeth, especially when the speaker came into her sight. It was the same woman as before—the woman whose name Nagayoshi failed to remember on purpose.

Kakuzu wasn't even half-delighted to see her, yet he put on his indifferent face. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"It's my lunch break!" she said. "I always come here for lunch. Why do you think I proposed you to eat here?" she tried to seduce Kakuzu, even softening her voice at the word 'proposed'. Should she fail to restrain herself, she might have licked her upper lip.

Being the other female in the area, Nagayoshi notice the held back temptation to lick the upper lip. The thought of it alone made her sick. She cleared her throat as manly as possible. She managed to catch the attention of the three adults. Each of them eyed her with confusion. Only one pair of eyes which Nagayoshi replied to, and she was glaring at those eyes.

The woman smiled. "Hi again, Nagayoshi," she greeted the girl.

"Hi, Maguro-san."

"It's Masane!" she screeched at the thirteen-year-old.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Megane-san." Nagayoshi said. She really felt unnecessary to remember her name.

"Ho-how about you join us, Masane-chan?" Hokko invited. An invitation that he made spontaneously in order to prevent cat fights between the two females. Kakuzu knew he won't like what would come after that, but he had no choice. Fighting was the last thing he wanted to happen at that hour.

"No, she ca-mmph!" Hokko shoved the napkin he used to clean the curry stain into her mouth. She stared pleadingly at her brother but he didn't respond to her. Much to her horror, Masane took a seat beside Kakuzu. Her arms were yearning to encircle Kakuzu's muscular left arm exposed to her. Not in a million years will that happen.

She watched Masane closely, looking at every attempt of devouring her brother into her embrace. Nagayoshi kept on eating, but the fried rice was bland in her tongue. All of the spices were now on her eyes, strong and sharp.

Masane's food arrived before her. That moment, Nagayoshi wished she was Sasori. A drop of a poison was what she needed. Unfortunately, reality trampled on her wishes. Masane didn't die as she munched and chewed her favorite cuisine. Nagayoshi's mind growled, _Why hasn't she choked?_

Kakuzu did nothing but nervously watching Masane eat. He didn't know whether it was her eating slowly or his nervousness that caused the world around him to decelerate. He looked to the side; he hadn't finished his curry rice yet. And he would never open his mask in front of her.

"Don't you want to finish your food, Kakuzu-dono?" Masane asked all of a sudden.

"Well, I..." Kakuzu stuttered. If he said that he couldn't eat because she will get to see his face, he only encourages her more to tell him to open his mask. He trusted this woman only to the extent of giving information on bounties, not to the extent of his personal secrets. Yet, Masane seemed to read his mind.

"You can't eat with that mask on your face, Kakuzu-dono. You have to take it off. Here, let me do it for you." Masane kindly offered. Her hand drifted to reach out for his mask. Kakuzu backed away; his hand was about to hold her hand away from him but he might unintentionally hurt her. Before the muscles of his arms moved, someone else's hand had already caught Masane's.

All the three adults did a double take. Nagayoshi was suddenly in between Kakuzu and Masane, holding the latter's hand with warning signs written all over her face. She got there so fast that none of them even realized she was gone from her seat. She actually just used the usual: _Shippuujinrai Shunshin,_ and she used that enhanced speed-step as she crawled under the dining table. Kakuzu hid a relieved sigh. His dark secret was saved by his peeved sister.

Nagayoshi threw Masane's hand away. One of the warning signs on her face spoke out, "You invade his privacy, and I'm going to kill you." she growled.

"You know, the way you say it makes it sound like you're protecting his—"

"Could you just stop talking like a pervert, pervert?" Nagayoshi snapped. Her hands threatened to stranggle Masane's neck with deadly constriction, but before she could cause a riot, Kakuzu had held her down.

"Nagayoshi," he said, "if you promise me not to kill anyone here, you can sit between us. How does that sound?" Kakuzu didn't usually make negotiations like this. Yes, he understood that Masane was quite a pain-in-the-neck for him too, but then she was one of the most reliable informants about bounties. Anyway, she hadn't really succeeded in raping him.

Nagayoshi gave him a stern look of uncertainty, as if she was questioning his intention of telling her to stay down. She fixed the way she sat and dragged her plate of unfinished eel fried rice to her. "Fine," she huffed and ate her food again.

Kakuzu sighed; his negotiation worked. Nagayoshi sure was still far from mature. Meanwhile, Masane was glaring at the nosy little teenager between her and the masked shinobi. Yet, she refused to give up, so she found another way to stay connected with Kakuzu, though not by circling her arms around his.

"Say, Kakuzu-dono," she began, "I know that you yourself is a criminal, but what do you say about catching another criminal that is currently secretly hunted by the rich people? I know about this classified information because I heard from a friend of mine who said that a nobleman in the neighboring town has just got robbed. All of his guards were knocked down."

The topic caught Kakuzu's attention effectively. "Go on."

"It's the phantom thief who has been stealing the Oni artifacts. Nobody knows how this thief's face looked like. The way my friend heard it, some victims who got to point a sword at the thief said that the thief is not too tall. They said that the thief is not an adult but they're not sure if the thief is male or female." Masane explained. "How does that sound, Kakuzu-dono? Pretty interesting, huh? The rich victims of the thief have transferred the prize money to all exchange portals around the country and the countries nearby."

Kakuzu didn't say anything. Sure, it did sound promising, but still, he had to put some consideration in it. "I'll pass." he finally said. "I'm in a pretty tight schedule. I can eat lunch like this because my sister and my partner forced me to take a break. Thanks for the info, though, Masane. Now, if you'd excuse us."

Masane's jaw dropped. "EH? You're going already?" she screeched in disbelief.

He and his mates rose from their seats. While Hokko was taking out some money from his wallet, Kakuzu turned to Masane for the last time. "I told you, I'm on a pretty tight schedule. We should be moving on. See you."

As the masked shinobi and his sister exited the diner, Hokko handed their share to Masane. "Give this to the kind lady after you're finished, will you, cupcake?" he asked. He left, lifting his hat a little, as he bid his farewell to the exchanger woman. Outside the diner, he caught up to his partner.

After a few meters walking, Kakuzu said, "You know, I never knew you could be so protective of me, Nagayoshi."

Nagayoshi's facial veins exploded, causing her face to get red in an instant. She stammered, "Don't get so happy just yet! I just don't like her, that's all! She's a pervert! Every word she says sounds like she wants to get you to a closed space and have you for herself." She accelerated her walking speed, walking way ahead of the two men, forcing them to mount their speed too.

"Ha! You're pretty sweet, y'know, Nagayoshi-chan?" Hokko remarked.

"Shut up!" she snapped embarrassedly. A hand then landed on top of her head. She looked up to see her brother. His mask concealed it, but she knew he was smiling. How she wished she was seeing it.

"Thanks." he said.

She mumbled a mouthful of words, but it sounded jibberish to both men. She refused to clarify what she said, being too embarrassed and all.

**|-oOo-|**

Akobu kicked a fallen acorn with his shiny yellow boots. He walked with his back slumping as he and his elephant friend ventured through the woods towards the next town which the phantom thief's scent was heading to. He sighed and leaned against a tree. He covered his face and whined like a dog. "Oh, Mama-chan," he said to his elephant friend, "this is frustrating, I kept losing to that kid thief. Last time he kicked me on the balls so hard I passed out!" he howled sadly. Mama reached out her trunk and stroke Akobu on his back.

Her sensitive elephant hearing then caught the slight rustle of trees and briskly turned around, accidentally knocking Akobu with her trunk. She opened her ears wide and trumpeted. Akobu recognized that offensive stance and quickly rose to his feet. He shouted, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"We don't need orders from a pussy like you!" answered a male voice.

Akobu located the voice. "Aha! Over there!" he exclaimed. "Take this! _Super Akobu Giant Soccer Kick!_" he shouted with his trademark high-pitched voice as he kicked the soccer ball special for elephants. The ball rocketed towards the direction of the voice. There were two people standing on a tree and either of them will get their face crushed by the ball's powerful force.

"How lame." said a female voice. In a blink of an eye, the soccer ball was divided into two. Akobu saw a female figure wearing cat's eye shades slipping in between the two divisions of the soccer ball with a sword whose end bent around like a coil. His vision dropped and his chin slammed against the hard ground. The earth around him shook and he saw Mama collapsed to the ground.

"Mama-chan!" he shouted. A sword with a similar shape as the one used by the previous woman forced him to shut up and he looked up. A man was sitting on top of his body. He wore similar outfit as the woman: a shirt with a low collar opening that exposed his scar across his chest, the ends of his pants were tucked inside his ninja sandals. The only difference was that the woman's shirt was more body-hugging and beige in color, and instead of pants, she wore black silky leggings. His and the woman's lower arms and shins were covered with yak fur warmers.

Akobu heard two other footsteps coming towards him and he realized that there was another pair of them, with the same outfit. The only differences they have were their face and hair. He started to shiver. These people could knock Mama down. They had to be very powerful.

"W-what do you want from me?" he asked them.

"Simple. Serve us." answered the man who sat on top of him.

"Why should I?"

"We know your elephant can track that phantom thief our clients hate so much. Now the problem is you can't defeat him alone. That phantom thief is a ninja and only a ninja can defeat him. You work for us, your pet'll live and you'll get our share." answered the other woman, the one with wavy hair and a red bandana.

"How can I trust that you're not lying?"

The other woman slowly lowered her sword on top of Akobu's head. When it didn't stop penetrating his afro red hair, he squeaked in fear. "Okay! OKAY! I-I'll work for you! I'll find the thief! Please have mercy!"

"Good." she said coldly.

The man who sat on him rose up, letting him stand once again. "Now show us where that phantom thief goes!"

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi exhaled gentle stream of air from her nostrils. It was very close—very close in having her brother as her enemy. That woman Masane really was trying to kill her relationship with Kakuzu so that she could have the masked shinobi for herself. She bugged Nagayoshi to no end, and the fact that Hokko was very amused by her strong abhorrence of that woman frustrated her. Hokko started to tease her a lot by saying things about Masane will do certain improper actions to Kakuzu. Nagayoshi was practically raised among men and their uncensored mature jokes, so it wasn't a surprise that she get every ambiguous word the cowboy ninja said. That didn't necessarily mean she liked those jokes though. In fact, she found them far from amusing.

Still, a very curious human she was, Nagayoshi always felt like she has to ask something. So, while she and her brother was gathering wood for their tonight's campfire, she asked straightaway, "Oniisan, why did you refuse Matsuge's suggestion? You rarely refuse any offer like that. What gives?"

"Like I told her: I'm on a tight schedule." Kakuzu answered nonchalantly.

"I don't buy that."

"You should."

"If we're in a tight schedule, then why are we making campfire at this time of the day. It's not even near eleven o'clock yet. We never rest this early. Come to think of it, what mission are we doing this time? We've been travelling and all, but I never learned a thing about the real mission you were given to."

"It's late, Nagayoshi. Stop being so chatty now." Kakuzu replied to her. "Besides," he added, "you're a subordinate and there are things that subordinates aren't allowed to know from the official members. This current mission is one of them."

"Then why do I have to come if I'm not allowed to know the current mission?" Nagayoshi asked again.

"Because all subordinates must stick with their senior at all times, unless there are certain events happening, like when I was suspended for three months and you have to travel around with Itachi's division." Kakuzu answered. Nagayoshi didn't retort, leaving their footsteps the only sound that reverberated in the night. Kakuzu added, "You satisfied?"

"Depends on what you mean by that. But I'll stop asking." Nagayoshi replied.

Kakuzu shrugged. "That's better than nothing."

The brother and sister pair arrived at their campsite. They arranged the wood, but Nagayoshi departed before the campfire was built. She said she needed to get the digested food out. But we all know it was not true. Indeed, she was back to her nightly schemes again. She made a bunshin, told her to cover her while the real Nagayoshi left to steal again. Nagayoshi changed her clothes into her all-black thief outfit. She dashed into the night, meeting up with Deidara while the clone went back to the campsite.

**|-oOo-|**

The night's thievery plan was a success, as usual. This time, Nagayoshi's target object was a crown-like headpiece that has a skull that seemed to be smiling on top it. It was called 'The Oni's Crown', one of the Oni artifacts. Her latest target objects had always been an Oni artifact, even her first was an Oni artifact. Sure, it wasn't always the same type of artifact; there were times where she had to steal other valuable things too. However, the Oni artifacts were the ones Komushi wanted the most.

"Don't you get kinda bored, un?" Deidara asked.

Nagayoshi blinked at her friend. "No. Why? Are you bored already?" she asked.

"Sorry to say, but yeah, I am bored, un! I don't get to blow any stuffs!" Deidara ranted. He tried his best not to offend Nagayoshi.

"Don't you blow stuffs when you're on a mission with Sasori-san?"

"Well, yeah, but not much. Sasori-no-Danna is always bitching about me being late and told me to hurry the shit up. I'm doing it fast, but it seems like it's always too slow for him!"

Nagayoshi snorted. "Imagine what happens if Sasori-san's partner is my brother. He'd explode because Oniisan tend to make side-trips to catch bounties."

"Ha! Yeah, I'd like to see him explode." Deidara replied. A devious grin then stretched across his face. Nagayoshi gulped; maybe she shouldn't have said that.

A gush of wind struck them from behind and although the light was from the moon, they could see a shadow devouring theirs that were on the white clay albatross. The two teenagers turned their head only to see an ominous figure raising a blade at them. Deidara briskly swerved the bird, evading the blade's strike. The unprepared Nagayoshi was tossed off the back of the bird and fell into the darkness of the woods.

"Nagayoshi-kun!" Deidara shouted. But he couldn't worry for Nagayoshi's safety for too long; the blade-wielder still wanted to cut his head. He moved away, higher from the trees so that the attacker may have difficulties in approaching him. He put his hands inside the clay pockets. "Thanks for not making me bored again, bitch." he hissed. He threw a handful of clay spiders at the attacker. The attacker used the sword as a guard, but was unaware of the spiders' capability to detonate on their master's command. "Katsu!"

The spiders flashed and an abundant of force struck the attacker.

In the woods, Nagayoshi had caught a tree branch and hopped onto it. Then a powerful gush of wind tried to push her off again, but she held tight to the tree trunk. She looked up to the sky. "Deidara-chan…" she gasped. She hopped upwards to meet her friend. Her heart beat in a speed that may match a cheetah's running speed. She worried for Deidara's safety and she didn't want her hobby to cause death of another friend. Not because of her.

The leaves rustled and Nagayoshi sensed someone dashed to attack her. She kicked the attacker, but the attacker used a weird-shaped sword to block her kick. Her ankle was grabbed and then she was flung to another tree, farther from Deidara's location. Nagayoshi massed a bunch of chakra on her hands and feet to soften the impact against the tree and stick to it. She tried to focus on her attacker. The moonlight was blocked by the leaves of the trees, but she could see vaguely the curves of grown woman and her long hair. She remembered that the attacker who attacked her and Deidara earlier was bigger and bulkier—so it could be a man. Their enemy wasn't just one.

Nagayoshi looked around, trying to see both escape gap and additional enemy back-up. She switched on her electromagnetic sensory and she sensed three more enemies. One of them had weak chakra signal—Akobu. _So he brings some reinforcement, eh?_ Nagayoshi hissed in her mind.

Nagayoshi lunged at the swordswoman and braced a fist to punch her. The woman braced an offensive stance and blew her own punch. With her other hand, Nagayoshi held her punching arm and brought her knees to the attacker's face. Nagayoshi heard something broken but she couldn't tell what it was. With the woman down, Nagayoshi wasted no time, rushed towards the top of the trees, and jumped her way to Deidara's position.

There was a thick smoke in the sky and it was probably because of Deidara's doing. Nagayoshi really wanted to call for her friend but she might give off her position to the remaining enemies on the ground. She was forced to a halt as a tall figure stood before her. A man this time, but not the same as the one who attacked the first time. She didn't want to waste her energy fighting and turned right. Once again, the man stopped her, but this time, he used his fist to punch her on the abdomen.

_POOF!_ Nagayoshi dispersed in a puff of smoke before a couple thousand of watts numbed the man's body.

Nagayoshi kept watching the skies, looking for a big-winged creature with a long haired boy riding it. Seconds passed and her expectations were yet to be answered. "Deidara-chan…c'mon…" she muttered anxiously.

_"Fuuton: Kazeken!"_ a woman's voice shouted behind her. Nagayoshi heard her voice and knew she was going to be attacked by an air element jutsu. She hopped down to get away from the wind's harm. To her surprise, even the trees were cut by the wind itself. It wasn't the wind that was going to attack her, it was the flying giant tree trunks and branches. She ran lower to the ground and ran in zigzags to avoid the falling woods.

Up ahead, the woods ended in front of a meadow. She jumped forward, just in time before a particularly enormous log pinned her to the ground. She rolled on the grass like a ball sliding down the slope. Nagayoshi quickly got up to her feet; her eyes scanned the ruined neighborhood of giant trees for enemies.

Her breathing was like a balloon pump. Sweat soaked the side of her black headgear and her black outfit has some brown stains on it as a result of rolling on the ground. Running from falling giant chunks of wood wasn't as easy as it looked. She needed to come up with a plan. A plan to distract them and give her time to escape.

A faint buzzing reverberated beside her ear. She briskly turned, only to found herself reacting to false warning. The tiniest species in the Aves class rapidly made its way across the meadow. For a second, Nagayoshi was made speechless with the tiny bird's qualities. The feathers were shining with blue and turquoise as its long, thin beak glimmered in black. It headed to the lonely small tree in the middle of the meadow. There, Nagayoshi could see a cup-like nest.

And it just hit her. Quickly, before any of the sword-wielding people came, Nagayoshi took off one of her gloves. She generated a generous amount of chakra onto her bare hand. The electric chakra surrounded her hand, replacing her glove. Nagayoshi closed her eyes. This had to be it. She knew it. That thing was something that represents her. She put the image in her head and tried to generate the image onto her hand.

Buzzing and humming mixed into one it got louder and louder as the image began to sharpen. It turned from one dimensional to two dimensional and then three. It became as solid as Nagayoshi herself. Nagayoshi opened her eyes and they bloated at the sight of the chakra on her hand. She did it! She had finally completed the technique. She had found her image: the tiniest species in the Aves class.

Her sensory shouted at her, warning the arrival of enemies. She thought for a while. She didn't want those attackers find out about her jutsu. She should distract them while she was still out of their sight. She amplified the power of her sensory by using more chakra. She felt them-three of them. She spotted the giant log, the one that almost squished her. She directed her chakra-coated hand at the log, the hummingbird facing toward it as well. She waited until the enemies get closer. Nagayoshi launched the hummingbird. It zapped across the meadow twenty times faster than a normal hummingbird. It dispersed into a force of energy as it slammed onto the log, pushing the wood violently backwards. The unsuspecting ninjas were knocked down.

Nagayoshi hurriedly turned around and pumped her legs as hard as she could to run away from the woods. She heard loud flapping sound and a large shadow enclosed around her. She looked up and saw a bird flying above her. Soon, a long-haired boy, half-covered in soot but very much alive, appeared from the back of the artificial animal. "Deidara-chan!" Nagayoshi called in relief.

"Hurry up and jump on!" he shouted, his urge to escape was as strong as Nagayoshi's. The girl nodded and jumped onto the bird's back, behind Deidara. She took a closer look at her friend. Obviously, he was as tired as she. His opponent may only be one person, but Nagayoshi knew that their opponent was quite powerful.

"Damn ninjas." Deidara hissed. "I lost our loot during the fight. I guess today's thievery work is a failure." Deidara turned to Nagayoshi, wanting to apologize for causing their failure, but he stopped when Nagayoshi pulled him into her arms. She buried her face on his shoulder and his arms circled tightly around his back. "He-hey! Nagayoshi-kun, what the hell? S-s-stop it! This isn't the time for-"

"Shut up, you idiot." Nagayoshi mumbled. "I thought I fucking lost you."

Deidara was still blushing, but he understood. He hesitantly put a hand on her back. "W-well...you don't, do you?"

* * *

**Again, sorry for the terribly long update. I'm more distracted by the internet than I thought and I just couldn't come up with fresh ideas. So sorry for the long, long wait.**

**As if automatically, my brain began to make another story for Nagayoshi. In AU this time. I might write it and post it, but before that, I'll be writing it on a traditional notebook. If I do it on the laptop straight, I know I'll get distracted more and will focus more on the new story. That is a no-no.**

**Anyway, enjoy your life (or at least try) and see you in the next chapter! Reviews and constructive critics are welcomed! If you spot some mistakes, please notify. You don't know how effed-up I was while doing this chapter.**

_Next: The four bounty hunters get their hands on Nagayoshi! How will she defend herself?_


	7. Classic Bank Robbing

**Chapter 7: Classic Bank Robbing**

* * *

Nagayoshi couldn't help but feeling guilty. She almost put Deidara's life on the line last night. If Deidara was a worse ninja, he wouldn't win against one of the bounty hunters who attacked them. Yes, she knew Deidara could defend himself; he didn't hesitate to use his explosive clays to do so. He knew he would attract attention, but if that was what it takes to survive, why not? A young man like him shouldn't die too early.

Much to her brother and his partner's surprise, Nagayoshi woke up right after the two men opened their eyes. They were expecting her to wake up when the sun was almost at its peak where either of them has to carry her on the back. It was a rather amusing change for them. Now they had less trouble to concern about. But if only they know what was in her mind…

The threesome arrived at another town and as usual, there was police all over a district. Every town they visited had this same thing going on. Kakuzu looked over to Hokko and the cowboy ninja looked back. They agreed on the same thing and they needed not vocalization to know what it was. It was a hot topic in all towns they had visited. Every single citizen was talking about it. Only one, in each town, whose voice was filled with emotion: the victim of thievery.

"His father entrusted him that thing." a fat man with bushy mustache said.

"And we all know how much he respects his late father. It's a pity he lost it." said another man beside the first, an equally fat man only without mustache.

Hokko approached Kakuzu and muttered to him, "Well, at least we know the fellow's quite respected by the people."

"It's not like he's from a very rich family. Important, could be, but not rich." Kakuzu answered.

"Why d'you always use that…condescendin', resentful tone every time you talk about rich people? Jealous much?"

Kakuzu slowly gave Hokko a glance, a glance that made the cowboy ninja regret for asking him such question. "Do I look jealous, Hokko?" he asked back, darkness seeping through his black mask. Hokko was about to make a reply but Kakuzu shouted, "Nagayoshi! What the hell are you doing? Get back here!"

Hearing his call, Nagayoshi quickly hand the merchant the money and rushed back to the men with a bag of apples in her hands. "Sorry! I ran out of apples this morning."

"You could at least let us know." Kakuzu said. The three of them then continued their walk crossing the town. More words from the people were heard.

"How could his father get his hands on such a precious thing? Auction?" asked a woman to her friends. She was holding a grocery bag. The tail of a bass stuck out from the opening of the bag.

"I thought it was heritage. Isn't he a cousin to some heads of the families in the neighboring towns?"

"Well, this is interesting info we're eavesdropping." Kakuzu remarked. "Though I doubt the credibility of it."

"I can't get it outta my mind: what is that 'thing'?" Hokko asked, opening his hat and scratched his bald head.

_"The Fang of the Oni."_

Both Kakuzu and Hokko's head whipped down to the shortest person in their three-people group. Nagayoshi gulped. She didn't feel like she said something wrong or offensive.

"How do you know that?" Kakuzu asked. His voice represented Hokko too, who was just as curious as he was.

_Okay, so I talked too much,_ Nagayoshi thought. "Uhm…I asked the apple merchant and she said it was The Fang of the Oni. I was only quoting her."

The two men ceased to look so tense and surprised, but now their face sported a different expression. Hokko voiced the look on their face, "Yet another Oni artifact, eh? Looks like the phantom thief has motives, eh, Kakuzu-san?"

"I'm not surprised. Seeing that the majority of the thief's targets are the Oni artifacts, I guess he—"

"Pard'n," Hokko cut, much to Kakuzu's dismay who growled deeply. "She. A nice pretty lady—a thievery victim too—said that the thief's voice has a high pitch like a girl."

Kakuzu grunted. "Right. So as I was saying, I guess _she_ has a good eye on monetary values. But where she got the information from is still a mystery. If she got the info from someone else—like a treasure hunter, perhaps—then the guy has better value judgment."

_Oh, you got that right, Oniisan,_ Nagayoshi thought. _All I've done was actually his requests._

"But that clear motive makes it easy for us to track her next destination." Hokko said.

Nagayoshi halted in her tracks all of a sudden. Her eyes were wide. "Wait…so you guys want to catch her too? Oniisan, you said you're not interested!" Nagayoshi bellowed at her brother. At the last second, she realized she sounded as if she was offended by what she heard from Hokko's mouth. She accidentally let her fear out through her voice.

The cowboy ninja raised both of his hands up to his chest level. "Whoa, girl! I didn't mean we're tracking her down. What I meant is people like us—her motive makes it easy for guys like us to track her down." he said, stammering a little.

"I'm a man of my words, Nagayoshi. And you know me enough to tell that I'm seriously not interested." Kakuzu added. "Come. Our job's here is done." He and Hokko resumed their walk but Nagayoshi wouldn't budge.

"That's enough, you two." she hissed. "Tell me already! What's your mission, really?" she asked with her voice rising from one syllable to the next. She successfully made the two men to stop walking again. "If you're not telling me anything, then I won't move from this freaking spot until you decide to spill the beans!" she heatedly roared at them, not caring a thing that she was attracting attention.

"Nagayoshi!" Kakuzu hissed. "Keep your voice down! People are looking at us."

"Like I fu—mmph!" Hokko had muffled her upcoming swear word before it was completed and dragged the girl away from where she was standing. He smiled apologetically at the people around. In his hands, Nagayoshi was struggling to regain her freedom to speak, but Hokko was much stronger than her.

Kakuzu walked ahead. He lead them with a hurried pace. They needed to get to the next town.

**|-oOo-|**

"For God's sake, Nagayoshi! Would you just stop being such a drama queen?" Kakuzu wailed with a hand over his eyes. When they had a lunch break, Nagayoshi brought the question again and to no one's surprise, Kakuzu disagreed with the idea.

"It just doesn't make sense! I mean, we've been following the thief's steps this last three weeks! We arrive to every crime scene and even asked around about the victims and the stolen artifacts! If that doesn't arouse suspicion, I don't know what does!" Nagayoshi growled. A hare coming out her burrow behind Nagayoshi scampered back inside, mistaking her infuriated growl as a panther's growl.

"Our mission is classified, Nagayoshi-chan, we're sorry. It's the Leader's order." Hokko answered. He felt sorry for the kid. She was an outcast in their current mission.

"Doesn't that say enough for you, Drama Queen?" Kakuzu added, now massaging his temples. It started to become a habit. He did that every time Nagayoshi was being stubborn beyond all reason.

"No!" she replied defiantly. She crossed her arms and locked them tight in their position. It was Kakuzu's least favorite gesture of hers.

Kakuzu groaned, tanned fingers still on his temple. "Okay, here's the deal: we'll tell you once the mission's over."

"When will it be over?" Nagayoshi interrogated.

"If we move fast without stupid hindrances such as this argument with you."

"You're just trying to make excuses not to tell me about your mission, aren't you?"

"Just trust me!" Kakuzu snapped. "I'll tell you myself, happy? I promise!"

It was not every day Kakuzu made a promise spoken aloud like that and Nagayoshi knew. Her interlocked arms loosened, dropping to her thighs. Yet, she tried not to look like she had chilled out. She grunted, "Fine. But you promised!"

"Yes, I do!" Kakuzu stressed on. "Please, don't make me pinky swear."

It had been a few months since Hokko's first arrival in Akatsuki and for as far as he could remember, this kind of argument was almost on weekly or monthly basis. He learned from Kisame that the blue swordsman usually did the moderating, but when he was nowhere near the two, nobody would stop them. Kakuzu's former partner, Ryouken, enjoyed watching them argue. Kisame even said that Ryouken sometimes started an entirely new argument, but it effectively stopped Kakuzu and Nagayoshi yapping at each other and at him instead. These days, Hokko acted as the moderator and more often than not, both of them would snap at him and tell him to shut up. He hoped that wouldn't happen this time.

The cowboy ninja cleared his throat, twice and loudly. "The next town is only a few miles away. Shouldn't we be going?" he asked. His heart chanted a lightning fast prayer.

Kakuzu stood and nodded. "Hokko's right. We should be going. And maybe tonight we'll stay overnight at an inn. I earned enough money from my last hunt to afford us a room."

"A room? But there's three of us!" Nagayoshi said pointing at herself, her brother and Hokko.

"It's a twin bedroom." Kakuzu replied. His tone questioned Nagayoshi's point.

"Yeah, and there's THREE of us! Twin single bed means there are only TWO beds! I don't wanna sleep on the floor, even if it is on a futon!" the girl kept on protesting.

Kakuzu sighed and walked away towards the next town. "Let's walk, Whine Queen."

"Stop calling me names!"

**|-oOo-|**

As planned, the threesome arrived at the next town before the sun began to submerge in the horizon. The three-storied inn was nearly empty with only twelve people staying. Their arrival increased the number of guests into fifteen. Nagayoshi kept demanding a separate room of her own. She wanted the slightly twisted version of the old procedure.

The old procedure was taking two rooms. Nagayoshi slept in the same room as Kakuzu, who ordered a twin room. The other room was for Kakuzu's partner before Hokko, Ryouken, who was a child rapist, now dead. The procedure was done since Kakuzu, who knew Ryouken's background, wanted him to stay as far away as possible from his sister.

But things had changed. Ryouken was no more, and Hokko was an exact opposite of Ryouken. The cowboy ninja liked children. And he had gained enough of Kakuzu's trust for him to order only ONE twin bedroom. His plan was to drop the upper layer of mattress down to the floor and have Nagayoshi choose either the top, plump layer or the bottom, hard layer. It turns out that Nagayoshi had developed a sense of privacy over the months after Ryouken's death.

_This must be the rebellion era of her life… _Kakuzu groaned in his head. Yet, he still did not grant Nagayoshi's demand and still took the twin bedroom.

The adult men decided to succumb to Nagayoshi's protest once they had arrived in their room. They let her have the bed that wasn't divided. Kakuzu chose to sleep on the top layer, positioned between two beds and closer to Nagayoshi.

The night was spent much more peacefully. Nagayoshi didn't rant as much as she did that afternoon. She had a massive dinner with Hokko, the non-frugal old man, while Kakuzu decided to spend the in the inn with cupped noodles to keep his stomach satisfied. Kakuzu was examining their next route when he noticed his partner and his sister walking through the window. They seemed to be exchanging stories—delightful ones from the look of their smile.

Kakuzu wanted to jeer. Nagayoshi always had something to blab about. She couldn't stop talking once she was sharing stories with someone. He couldn't believe Hokko could stand that almost nonstop warbling. But then he cringed, disturbed by his own thought, _But I'm not being too ignorant, am I? Not everybody wants to hear her exaggerated stories._

He saw them disappeared inside the entrance to the inn. They will return to the room soon.

Kakuzu folded his map and put it on the table. He went to the bathroom to wash his face, getting ready to bed. However, the grey matter in his head wouldn't stop being active.

**|-oOo-|**

It was a slightly tricky operation to escape from the two old men and presume her life as the phantom thief. She had been using her throat's capability to the maximum just so that Kakuzu would grant her a separate room for herself. But she failed. Looks like being extra rebellious didn't help much.

So she altered her plan a little. She exchanged roles with her bunshin when she and Hokko were at an okonomiyaki restaurant. She excused herself to the toilet and there she exchanged places with her clone. It was earlier than her usual schedule.

She snooped her way to the dirty slums and waited for Deidara. The target may be in the town where she and her older companions were staying, but she still needed Deidara, especially after what happened yesterday night.

Nagayoshi had pleaded to Deidara not to come with her, but he insisted because they were a team. Nagayoshi had criticized his statement by making a 'what if' scenario if she were replaced by Sasori instead. Deidara wanted to fight back, but he didn't know who she didn't like in Akatsuki. The argument was won by Nagayoshi—who rarely had a victory in arguing when she was against her brother.

Nagayoshi had learned that the owner of tonight's Oni artifact was a banker. Her recruiter, Komushi, even gave her the number of the banker's safe. All she had to do was to breach through the security, find the safe, and escape—which will not be at the same level as entering a house filled with nails facing upwards.

"I'm coming this time, Nagayoshi-kun." Deidara said, determined of his choice. "This is not a house we're robbing, un, it's a bank. You'll need all the help you can get. And since nobody knows about your thieving escapades, I'm the only one who can give you a hand."

"Deidara-chan..." Nagayoshi was almost speechless. A small smirk appeared upon her face and she pulled down her face mask, concealing everything except her eyes. "Let's go on a rampage."

Deidara grinned and looked down to the ground. There were several guards. Some of them walked around the building, and some were on top of it.

"Watch this." he said and unleashed two handfuls of clay spiders. They fell with ease and landed without a sound on the guards' body or the ground near them. Those landing not on the guards' body crawled up until they settled either on their back or their head. Putting two fingers before his mouth, Deidara muttered, "Katsu!"

The spiders exploded but from afar, the explosion sounded like a St. Bernard's bark. Each of the guards fell on the ground, one part of their body was splattering everywhere.

"Nice job, Deidara-chan!" Nagayoshi praised as she jumped down from the clay albatross. Deidara cackled and followed her jumping down. The two teenagers landed without inflicting any injury on themselves. They hurried to the door, pressed their back to the wall, and listened to any stomping from inside. Better, they heard another group of guards shouting. They didn't seem to focus on catching her and, instead, rushed to help their fallen comrades. But they didn't expect to end like them.

Nagayoshi lead Deidara, hopping over a carpet of dead guards. She took out a tiny piece of paper from her pocket. A note from Komushi. On it, written in scribbles using a pencil that was almost as small as the first digit of his thumb, were four numbers: 1100.

The thief stopped before a door on the first floor. The door had a golden number plate, stating its vault number, 0112. She thought for a while. The first number on the note was 1 and on the plate was 0. _He's the banker,_ she thought, _of course he wouldn't keep his precious belonging on the first floor!_

"Deidara-chan! This way!" she called him as quietly as possible. She headed for the stairs on the middle southern part of the building.

The two of them ran up the stairs, causing stress on their calves and thighs. But they knew they had to take the risk; if they use the elevator, they could have fallen into a trap and if they break in from the outside, people might see them due to the explosions and the sound of rocks falling down.

The stairs are narrow. They made their running much easier by skipping three to four steps at a time. Nevertheless, running all the way up to the eleventh floor was like a marathon up and down a country full of hills. At some point in the end, Deidara, who had enough of leg stress, made a clay ostrich and helped them climb the narrow stairs. Time and energy were saved.

At long last, they arrived at the eleventh floor. They stopped and listened to signs of activity. They scanned the area. Nagayoshi spotted her targeted vault, northeast ahead. She tapped on Deidara's shoulder. "Found it." she whispered. "C'mon, before there are more guards coming."

"Nagayoshi-kun—" Deidara was about to call her, but she had made her way to the target vault. He grunted and followed her, trying to make his steps silent. "Nagayoshi-kun!" he hissed. "Hey! Hey! Listen to me, un! Something's not right here. If this is really the VIP vault, then shouldn't there be some guards around here?"

"Well, maybe we killed them all unknowingly." Nagayoshi answered, not even looking back to look at Deidara properly. She was eager to achieve the artifact. The four bounty hunters with the similar outfit might be on their way here.

"You don't get it! This is an anomaly!"

"Anomaly shnomaly." Nagayoshi rolled her eyes. But the next second, her eyes were not playful anymore. Deidara leaned in, eager to hear what she had in mind. "I do sense something vague, though." she said.

"Meaning…?"

"Did Komushi-san said anything about this place being guarded by dogs, tigers or…bears?"

Deidara gave her a look and shook his head. "You were not insulting my avian artwork, weren't you?"

"Why would I? Nothing's wrong with them." she replied.

The two of them then were in front of the vault's ten-centimeter steel door. It had fifteen different keyholes, each with their own elaborateness. Deidara scratched the top of his head.

"How are we supposed to open this?" he asked.

"The door is made of metal." said Nagayoshi. "Maybe I can manipulate my chakra to create magnetism to the door. That way, it may pull the locks back."

"Well…give it a try, then!"

Nagayoshi opened one of her gloves and let her skin touched the steel door. It was somewhat experimental, but Nagayoshi had high confidence on her ability to manipulate her lightning chakra. She watched as science worked on her experiment. The conclusion was exactly like how she hypothesized. Fifteen _CLANKS!_ echoed throughout the floor as the door unhanded itself from the wall.

The vague presence was stronger now. She could feel it in front of her and somewhere around her and Deidara. She put her glove back on and heaved the steel door open. The first thing she saw inside was pitch darkness…then an almost invisible tip of a blade.

Nagayoshi bent her spine backwards, evading the sword's lethal thrust. On her side, she heard Deidara shouting, "Hey! You ruin my artwork!" Her attacker appeared before her—the same woman as yesterday night. The look of her eyes were concealed by her shades (it still confused Nagayoshi how she and her three comrades could see in the dark with a pair of shades), but the smirk on her red-lipstick lips made it clear that she was delighted to catch her by surprise. On the other hand, Nagayoshi grunted upon realizing why she didn't sense their exact presence.

Their arms and legs were covered with yak fur. Supposedly, their clothes are made of animal fur too, but thinner. Nagayoshi's sensory was at its worse when detecting chakra coated or surrounded by fur. The vague presence came from the exposed skin of their face and a part of the chest.

"Deidara-chan! Kunai!" Nagayoshi shouted. She quickly rolled to the side as the woman tried to stab at her head. She caught Deidara's kunai and fought her back. They clashed blades; the impact between the metals reflected and bounced around the building.

A muscular arm constricted her neck. She hacked, pulling the arm off and trying to breathe, but the arm wouldn't budge. In front of her, the woman was holding her sword far to her right. Nagayoshi racked her brain, finding an escape solution. The woman swerved her sword, aiming to slice her forehead open. Impulsively, Nagayoshi used Deidara's kunai and stabbed the man holding her on the thigh. The man howled and jerked backward, bring Nagayoshi with him. The swerved blade didn't slice her forehead, but as she was raised by the man's movement, the sword created a long cut along her left cheekbone and near her nose bridge. A small part of her face mask was ripped but only big enough to show her wound. She escaped from the man's arm, grabbed the woman's wrist and gave her favorite kick, the roundhouse. She released the woman's hand just as the sole of her sandals met the woman's exposed cleavage. Then she was three feet away.

Nagayoshi turned to help her friend who was also confronted by a couple of man and woman wearing yak fur leg and arm warmers. Without further ado, she threw another roundhouse at the other woman. Suddenly, her wrist was violently jerked and she was running towards a window, a long-haired blond in front of her. Deidara dug his free hand into his pocket, grabbed a handful of clay, and let the mouth in his hand mold it into something. The mouth vomited what it had been chewing in a form small clay balls. They splayed on the ground, like children's marbles expecting a group of adults to slip on them and hit their heads against the wall.

The teenagers crashed from the window. Shards of glass rained upon the man-less street. Deidara performed his two-fingered seal and, "Katsu!" he shouted. The topmost floor of the bank flashed in red and a boom. Powerful shockwaves accelerated the teens' fall until the albatross caught them. Nagayoshi slipped from the bird's back, but Deidara caught her forearm before she did a free demo of flying. "Nagayoshi-kun, hang on!"

Nagayoshi was hanging on, but her mouth cried, "Let me go, Deidara-chan!" Her eyes frantically stared at one of the bounty hunters jumping out of the bombarded building. "Let me go!" she cried again.

"You can't be serious!" Deidara bellowed.

One of the two bounty hunter men jumped at them, sword in hand, more than eager to chop either of their hands. He roared as he swerved the sword down.

"I said let me go!" Nagayoshi insisted. Deidara obliged with a heavy heart. The blond boy maneuvered the bird while Nagayoshi freefell and landed abrasively on the rooftop of a building. Staggering, she picked up her speed. Ignoring the pain of her cheek and the pain on her legs and knees, she dashed from one rooftop to the next. Tonight's mission was a failure, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to get away, find a hiding place, get help. Anything to survive.

**|-oOo-|**

Everybody in the town heard the big blast from the bank. Heads began popping out of the window, wondering what was really happening. Some people gasped and cried in shock. A frantic woman began rambling in a speed nearly nobody can follow. Even the two senior Akatsuki members were aroused by the commotion.

"Is it always like this every night the phantom thief makes a move? Then that kid ain't much of a phantom." Hokko remarked, popping his bald head out of the window. Behind him, Kakuzu was wearing his headgear and mask.

"Get dressed, Hokko. You too, Nagayoshi." Kakuzu said. The tempo of his voice was not at its usual. The cowboy ninja quickly put his hat and cloak on.

"You said you're not going to catch the phantom thief!" Nagayoshi growled. "You lied, Oniisan!"

"For God's sake, Nagayoshi, not now! There's a situation out there and we're ought to find out."

"I thought putting your nose in someone else's business is not in your dictionary. Apparently you're just another hypocritical adult!"

Kakuzu stomped towards Nagayoshi, grabbed the collar of her shirt, and held her as high as his gentle self could take. "Listen now, missy," he hissed, "I have no any shitty idea what has gotten into you today, but will you just go with the flow this time? I fuckin' promise I'll explain to you everything after this is over." Under his mask, his nostrils flared. He totally couldn't handle another temper tantrum tonight.

Nagayoshi bitterly nodded and pushed his hand off from her collar. Kakuzu stormed out of the room, his two companions followed. They switched on their 'no nonsense' mode, despite the thoughts they were having.

"I saw ninjas hoppin' on the rooftops a minute ago. They're headin' this way!" Hokko pointed.

Behind the men, clone Nagayoshi had lost count on how many times she had gulped. Even though the men hadn't found out about her being just a clone, but the plan had gone to an unanticipated way. This may as well be the end of her original self.

* * *

**This is actually part one of the actual chapter. It's supposed to go on, but I realize I might turn the chapter into a oneshot. So I cut it into two. Hopefully, I can finish it soon.**

**And happy summer holiday to all of you! I, in particular, am very thrilled with the many days when I can just sit in my room and write. My ideas are being kind to me lately. With a bit of luck, I can be twice as productive in the holidays~**

_Next: Kakuzu, Hokko, and clone Nagayoshi encounter the fight in which the phantom thief is losing. Clone Nagayoshi steps in to save the original. The union between the Akatsuki and the phantom thief!_**  
**


	8. Tell the Truths

**Chapter 8: Tell the Truths**

* * *

Two times in two nights, she and Deidara were separated. This time, she had done it on purpose. Still, the one the hunters were chasing was her. She didn't need her electromagnetic sensory to know that. She heard four different voices in every war cry they made every time they were trying to attack her.

She evaded most of them, only hitting when it was possible for her to do so. She was almost out of the town; it might be safer for her to unleash her true powers and kill them her way, as well as retrying her new incarnation of chakra form alteration.

Shurikens zapped on her left and right, one even managed to draw blood on her left forearm. She winced but kept running to the woods. She jumped branch to branch, log to log, hiding from their shuriken shots and sword strikes. She heard elephant trumpeting. At which point, she grumbled under her black mask.

The trunk of Akobu's female elephant snaked in between branches, trying to get her ankles. She stampeded, crashing her tusks against trees. The trees shook and it wasn't looking good on Nagayoshi's weakening balance. On one tree, the shaking managed to topple her off the tree, but she still escaped from Mama's trunk. But it didn't last for long.

"Asobu Hyper Soccer Kick!" the eccentric afro howled, kicking his gigantic soccer ball. The ball missed her radar and hit her on the side. The ball bounced off but Nagayoshi was sent four feet away, tumbling on the ground. Akobu blinked before raising both arms in the air and danced. "I did it! WOOHOO! I just nailed the thief!"

"Good job, brat. Now leave it all to us." said one of the female bounty hunters. The bigger of the male bounty hunter approached Nagayoshi and kicked the side of her body, making her roll to her stomach. While the girl was hacking out saliva, he pulled one of her arms. The other male grabbed the other arm and both men put one foot on top of her back. They pulled her arms back forcefully.

Akobu's blood froze when he heard Nagayoshi's agonized scream. He did want to catch the thief and turn her in, but he never intended to torture her first, especially knowing from her voice that she was a girl. He turned to the female bounty hunters. "This…this is not right! The thief's just a girl, totally much younger than I do! You can't do that to her! Stop!"

His protest wasn't welcomed as one of the females punched him round on the stomach. He doubled over, holding his nearly broken ribs. "Your job is done. We're going to break her arms and legs so she won't get away again. It's how we do it and you're gonna like it."

Akobu gritted his teeth. He wanted to fight back but this woman surely was more powerful than him.

_SNAP!_

All bounty hunters were distracted by the sharp noise. Nagayoshi was relieved to be able to stop screaming, but at the same time, she wondered who her savior was.

In amidst the darkness of the woods, there was a circular glowing object. The object drew closer, provoking the female bounty hunters to wield their swords. The object turned out to be a whip, glowing vividly in orange, encircling its user's hand. The user was bald, but most of his head was covered by a hat. Beside him, a man taller than him stood. His head was covered by grey headgear and his face was concealed behind a black mask. Behind the two men was a girl, wearing a black jacket over a white tank.

_Oniisan… Hokko-san…,_ Nagayoshi thought. She was relieved, alright, but her curiosity was replaced by anxiety. Will this really be the end of her career as a phantom thief?

"For once, Afro Boy is right. Let her go." Hokko said. "I don't support abusive bullyin' and I will not hesitate to twist your neck even if you're some fine women."

"What do you want? Are you bounty hunters like us or just some ninjas passing by trying to play hero?" one female asked sternly.

"Whatever your answer is, this bounty is ours and so will be the prize." said the other female.

"To be honest, I don't know what we are at the moment." Kakuzu replied. "I am a bounty hunter, but I have no interest on the phantom thief. But my partner…he's serious when he says he's going to twist your necks."

"Fuck off, bitches!" one male snapped. He pulled Nagayoshi's arm again and the girl screamed.

"I said stop!" Hokko bellowed.

"Back off, Grandpa!" one female stepped in to defend the males. She stretched her sword in front of her. Behind her, Nagayoshi was still screaming in pain. Irate, the clone Nagayoshi barged in front of Hokko.

"You're the one who has to back off!" she growled. Her right palm glowed and a blast of condensed lightning was shot at the female bounty hunter, sending her many feet away, crashing through trees and rocks, charred. She was lifeless in an instant.

The other female bounty hunter trembled as she saw the other female flew across the woods. Her teeth were gritted, her jaws tight and clenched. Behind her shades, hatred oozed thickly out of her eyes. "You killed my cousin!" she shrieked in fury. Her high-pitched war cry punctured the cold night air and her cold metal blade sliced the brain of her cousin's killer into two, right through her flesh and bone.

It was Kakuzu's turn to shout in horror.

The woman's fury and Kakuzu's horror vanished as the supposedly dead Nagayoshi turned into a huge puff of smoke. She was just a bunshin made from the original Nagayoshi's chakra.

Kakuzu was lost for words.

The phantom thief knew her time was up. Despite the pain on her shoulder joints, she channeled her electrical chakra abundantly and dispersed them around through her arms. Her sleeves and gloves were torn into pieces. With the absence of fabric, she could give the two men electrical shock, causing them to unhand her arms. The two men shouted in pain and tumbled aback. Nagayoshi rose to her feet; the chakra were now reduced and only coated her hands. She ripped off her headgear and mask, revealing her face to those present.

"Well, there she is." Hokko said, tipping his hat up from covering his front view. He himself was surprised to find out that the phantom thief had been Nagayoshi.

"Wait a minute…so Mama was right when she chased you! She knew all along it was you!" Akobu pointed in utter bafflement.

"Unfortunately, I have my alibi perfect. Now stay away from the battlefield, Akobu. This is a ninja fight." Nagayoshi said.

Kakuzu and Hokko stepped beside her; the three formed a triangle. The men against the men, Nagayoshi against the woman bounty hunter. All of a sudden, Kakuzu hit her head with his elbow. Wincing, she looked up to her brother.

"I know, I've got some explaining to do later." Nagayoshi sighed.

"Nah, me too." Kakuzu replied, shrugging. "I promised, didn't I?"

A large blob of electricity formed above Nagayoshi's palm. Three protrusions emerged; two on the side and one on the front. The side protrusions began to flap in an unimaginable speed. A hand-sized lightning hummingbird was born. Nagayoshi drew a shaky exhale; although she had the basics of chakra form alteration, she had just come up with the form yesterday night. She didn't have the time to practice.

"I see you finally did it." Kakuzu muttered. "Now let's see what you got."

The smaller of the male bounty hunter rose to his feet, wielding his sword and attacked with a guttural war cry. Hokko dashed affront and cracked his glowing orange whip. Kakuzu and the bigger male bounty hunter wrestled. Their body size and muscles were about the same, but Kakuzu had more than just muscles. He began tossing his opponent around with his tendrils.

"I still haven't killed my cousin's killer." the remaining female bounty hunter hissed. She threw off her shades and revealed her vengeful violet eyes. She ran at Nagayoshi, her sword raised up above her head.

The hummingbird hovering above Nagayoshi's palm zapped at the woman. It created buzzing sound as it flew in high speed. Its tail left blue trails in the air. The woman swung her sword down, and to Nagayoshi's surprise, she cut the hummingbird in half. The bird dispersed into thin air. Nagayoshi looked around the woman, wondering what could possibly cause the failure of her attack. The woman, driven insane by revenge, spoiled the answer for her.

"Have you forgotten that the air element is stronger than the lightning element? You are no match for me, thief!" she shouted at Nagayoshi.

"Fair enough," said Nagayoshi, "but you're no match for my hand-to-hand."

"Kid, you might need this!" Hokko hollered, tossing her retractable baton over. Nagayoshi caught it and braced it in front of her at its full length. She smirked at the bounty hunter, challenging her.

The two females dashed towards each other and their weapons clashed. Flame sparkled as the metal surfaces rubbed against each other. Both ladies were agile; it was hard to keep up with their fight using only your naked eyes. The bounty hunter released high-pitched cry every time she launched an attack. Nagayoshi only voiced out grunts and occasional lower-pitched cries.

Akobu and Mama watched from behind the bushes, astonished by the intensity. Everybody was inflicting injuries and bruises on their opponent. The man with the cowboy hat used fire-based ninjutsu every once in a while. The masked man fought like a gangster, flinging his opponent back and forth, and his eyes seldom looked at any other direction. The youngest of their team fought like a bee. Her attacks were rapid and she was quite strong for a thirteen-year-old. Akobu took off his goggles and wiped the sweat drooping between his eyes.

The girl's baton clashed against the bounty hunter woman's sword and the two weapon wielders competed in strength, holding their weapons forward against their opponent. Nagayoshi may be shorter than the woman, but she could keep up with her strength. Smaller never means weaker. Someone in her past taught her that.

Nagayoshi used a method he learned from a fellow sword wielder with whom she occasionally sparred. She briskly dragged her foot backward, taking her body backward as well. The sudden loss of pressure caught her opponent off guard and she almost stumbled. Nagayoshi used that very brief chance to give her a right hook on her chin. The woman fell back. Nagayoshi quickly stamped her hand on the ground and spreading controllable streaks of lightning under the ground. _Takogesu Sanran!_

The lightning travelled underground towards the woman and emerged from the ground as she rose to her feet. She managed to evade, though some of the streaks slashed her arms, legs, and waist. She dropped to her knees, weakened by the massive wounds. Yet, she was still eager to avenge her cousin's death. With bloody arms, she raised her blade, pointing its tip directly at her opponent. Her breathing was hard and her hair curtained her face, emphasizing the killing intent flashing from her violet eyes.

Both Nagayoshi and Akobu witnessed cold air and warm air gathering around her sword and accumulated on the tip. First, it was just a tiny puff of grey smoke, but then it grew. From a puff into a dark cloud, spinning around the tip of the sword, picking up speed as it formed. _"Fuuton..."_ she breathed. Then she took a deep breath and shouted, _"Taifuu no Me!"_

Tornado spun out of the dark cloud, blowing Nagayoshi away. The tornado wreaked several trees, obstructing the fight of the men. The bounty hunters fled to a safer place, unwilling to be hurt by their friend's jutsu. Kakuzu's tendrils quickly rooted deep into the ground, holding him to earth. Hokko flattened himself to the ground, holding his hat to his head. He heard a girl screamed somewhere in the typhoon.

"Nagayoshi-chan!" he shouted, seeing her tumbled here and there by the wind.

Kakuzu stretched both arms and his tendril-extended forearms and hands caught her. He brought his sister close and held her as they endured the storm.

Akobu was in a safe place when he saw the storm giving Nagayoshi and the two Akatsuki a hard time. He bit his lip, not knowing what to do. _That girl's a criminal! But then she's just a girl... No, she should still be punished! But killing her...? Gah!_ His thoughts went on a rumble. Their fight took several seconds and as soon as the fight of thoughts was finished, Akobu picked his elephant soccer ball and kicked it straight.

The bounty hunter woman shouted when the giant yellow ball hit her head, knocking her unconscious. The tornado blowing at Kakuzu, Hokko, and Nagayoshi stopped that instant. Everything felt like falling down; several blown away branches and twigs crashed down to earth behind the trio.

"What the hell are you doing?" one of the male bounty hunter bellowed at him angrily. Akobu gulped but put an offensive stance at the bounty hunter—which caused no fear to his heart. Easily, the bounty hunter beat Akobu. "You're supposed to work for us, you little—"

"Hey," Kakuzu called, "pick someone your own size."

"I will once I get rid of this piece of shit." He raised his sword, ready to behead Akobu. However, before he could swing his sword, a hand grabbed his wrist.

"I'm not one for saving people, but unless I'm furious, I won't kill people unnecessarily. Leave him." Kakuzu said, his eyes pierced into the bounty hunter's shade-covered eyes.

"You leave me." the bounty hunter spat. He just made a mistake. That mistake cost him his wrist. Kakuzu crushed it with one hand and then slammed him to the ground like Hokko cracking his whip. The slam broke the bounty hunter's back. He was paralyzed.

Kakuzu stepped closer to him while the bounty hunter was screaming in pain. One hand congealed into stone; his fingers were all straight. Like a knife, his congealed hand pierced through the man's heart. Blood squirted when his fingers made contact with the chest.

Akobu watched in terror as the masked man finished the other man cold-bloodedly. His shivering worsened when the man's jade eyes met his blue ones. His teeth rattled; he didn't want to be finished in the same fashion. "P-puh-please! Don't kill me! I did try to put your sister behind bars, but I always fail!"

"No one's interested in killing you, Akobu. I just want you to see how the life of ninjas looks like. Sometimes, I wonder how my life would turn out if I were not a ninja. But I was never an idealist." Kakuzu said. He flicked his wrist and wiped it to a tree to get the blood off his hand.

Meanwhile, Hokko was still belly-flat to the ground. He was on his hand and knees when a pair of feet stopped before him. The size of the shoes was not familiar to him. He grabbed his whip but one of the feet stomped on it.

"You're finished, Gramps."

Instead of filled with terror, Hokko smirked looking at the stepped-on whip. "Oh, you're right. You're finished."

The whip glowed and burned in flames. However, it was not truly burned. It turned into a snake which then bit the smaller male bounty hunter's foot. The bite spread into a real burn, smoldering his foot and leg into ash. The man caterwauled, hopping on the other foot to extinguish the fire. But the next thing he knew, his face was wrapped around another whip, yellow in color.

The man's face was wrapped in Hokko's other whip and the cowboy ninja was holding the hilt, ready to pull whenever he pleased. Shivering, the man pleaded, "Please…spare me…!"

Hokko did not and he didn't need words to express that.

Akobu watched as the bald man who first seemed very friendly and polite killed the other male bounty hunter. He didn't expect he was capable of doing such cruelty. If he had heard or read about Hokko's feats in the past, he might have fainted in sheer horror. Still stupefied on the ground, he looked at the three-man group approached him. All of them were capable of killing in any way a ninja could. _They must have wanted to kill me too…_ He shut his eyes tight.

"Oy," said Nagayoshi, "you okay?"

Akobu opened his eyes and was surprised to see the girl's hand in front of his face, offering a help to stand. Though he was a man with large ego, he took the hand and stood. "You…you're not going to…to kill me?" he stammered.

"Nah, I don't really kill people for the heck of it. You just haven't done enough wrong to me." Nagayoshi replied, grinning.

"But—but…I've been trying to catch you!"

"Yeah, you're a drag, but you're easy to defeat. The reason how you got me with your giant soccer ball is because I was already attacked by the four of them. You're lucky, though! If you had been there to catch us in the bank, Deidara-chan wouldn't hesitate to kill you!" Nagayoshi said; she enjoyed the loss of color from Akobu's face when she mentioned Deidara's lack of hesitation.

"Wait, Deidara was with you?" Kakuzu interjected. "You two work together in this whole stealing escapade?"

Nagayoshi's grin disappeared and her shoulders drooped, as how children do when they are scolded by their parents. "We did work together. But Oniisan…"

"Save it for later. It's late and you probably need some rest after all this…adventure." Kakuzu turned to Akobu, "Though your looks are not promising but I want you to keep your words: this never happens. You never find the thief and you never catch her. Consider she's dead, killed in the explosion in the bank. Get it?"

"Y-yes, sir." Akobu squeaked.

Hokko put a warm hand on his shoulder. He smiled to him. "Listen to Kakuzu-san. He ain't tolerate leaked information very nicely."

"Yes, sir…" Akobu answered, nearly crying. _These people are scary…!_ he thought. He glanced to the slowly departing trio. Despite their capability and indifference to kill, there was something warm between the three of them. They were like a small family. Nagayoshi was the mischievous, trouble-making, rebellious, in-puberty teenager. Kakuzu was the brother and the strict father figure who mostly had to deal with the teenager's acts. Hokko was the kind and gentle father figure—almost mother figure, even. Their differences in character made them work and even look after each other like a family.

A figure with long hair staggered behind them, sword in hand. It was the bounty hunter woman with grudges against Nagayoshi. She was still eager to kill the girl with the very metal of her blade. Akobu saw her and his legs were suddenly pumping, bringing him running towards the trio. His mouth opened and his vocal chords vibrated. Nagayoshi wanted to turn around but Akobu's butt pushed her affront.

The afro-haired young man gaped at the blade disappearing into the flesh of his stomach. Warm liquid soaked his tight clothes. His visions blurred. All he knew next was black. His ears still could hear sounds. Next, he heard a woman's voice screaming in what it sounds like pain. And then, there came voices.

"How is he, Hokko-san?" asked a girl's voice—Nagayoshi.

"He's losin' blood fast. If the bleedin' didn't stop, he'll die."

"Well, we can't let that happen! Hokko-san, use your whip!"

"But all four bounty hunters are dead!"

"No, use me."

"Nagayoshi, that's insane!" the heaviest voice of the three voices spoke gruffly. "You're age will be reduced! Who knows how long you'll live."

"Oniisan, I eat apples, I hardly eat junk food, and I spar as a form of exercise. I live a pretty healthy life. Anyway…" there was a pause… "he saved me."

A sigh came from the heaviest voice. "Alright, but only stop the bleeding."

And then warmth and pain united in his body. They quarreled, fighting over who will win and decide the fate of this young man. Their war lasted for quite some time...

**|-oOo-|**

The smell of antiseptic was the first thing that came to his awakening senses. The odor struck his nostrils violently and his reaction to the odor roused all the other senses. He slowly opened his eyes. Akobu found himself under a thin sheet of blanket and white neon light provided light to the room he slept in. He was on a hospital bed and his bed was positioned right next to the window, where an elephant was waiting outside.

The elephant trumpeted seeing her master awake and well. Her trunk slithered into the room, its nostrils rubbed against Akobu's face. Akobu laughed to the affection Mama gave him, but soon after, he winced. A sting attacked his stomach. He carefully felt his stomach and he felt bandage.

"Oh, you're awake, Asobu-san." a high-pitched female voice spoke. "I will prepare you your breakfast and after that, I'll have to change your bandage. Alright?"

"Hold on." Akobu grabbed the nurse's arm. "What happened to me? Why am I here?" he asked.

The nurse grimaced. "I'm afraid I don't know any better than you, sir. The elephant brought you here yesterday midnight and you have a stabbed wound on your stomach. Your wound was opened but you were not bleeding. I'd say you're a very lucky man, Asobu-san."

Akobu didn't answer and left the nurse to fetch his breakfast. He continued to see the spot where he had been stabbed. He turned his head to the window, to Mama the elephant. "The three of them, are they still here?"

Mama shook her head—a human gesture taught to her ever since she was a calf.

"They're gone… I'm pretty sure they saved me."

Mama snorted, air gushing out of her nostril, blowing Akobu's unruly afro hair. She made short trumpeting noises and her trunk pat his head like how human hands do.

Akobu smiled softly to his elephant friend. "Thanks, Mama-chan. Yeah…let's go see Mom and Dad after I get out."

**|-oOo-|**

"And that was it. She was caught by the authorities and was brought to justice. Depending on the judgment, she might be executed shortly."

Pain nodded, for the nth time, as he listened to Kakuzu's report on a mysterious new criminal. The feats of the mysterious phantom thief sounded promising to the young person's career as a thief, but in the end, it was disappointing that she ended like how all typical fictional villains do.

"The Oni artifacts and all stolen goods, are they retrieved to their owners?" Pain asked.

"It seems like the thief has sold everything she stole. The last one was the only thing safe. Some nice kid found it on the street and returned it to the owner." Kakuzu explained. "Otherwise, everything was gone."

"Well, at least she has won in several feats. Too bad she has to end like that." Pain said.

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "Putting my nose into somebody's business isn't really my thing, but why are you so…interested with this phantom thief?"

"Nothing big, really. I just want her movements to be watched, that's all. I mean, she's stealing precious artifacts in towns near my village. I know we're not sure if she has learned about my reputation or not, but I don't read minds—at least, not without making physical contact. She may enter my territory and cause trouble in my village." Pain said. He stood up and Kakuzu knew he was about to be dismissed. "Thank you for your hard work, Kakuzu. You may go."

Kakuzu nodded and bowed slowly before he exited the room. His heavy footsteps faded as he disappeared behind the door and out of Pain's administrative tower. Meanwhile, the Leader himself exited through another door, heading to a different room. His trusted partner and best friend followed close behind.

"What are you going to do, Nagato?" asked Konan.

"To whom? Kakuzu? I intend to do nothing. Everybody has their own secrets. His is not one that will put my reign to an end." Pain stopped in the middle of the corridor. He raised his hand and pointing his palm at the wall. The stones of the wall shifted aside, opening a secret room no other man would expect. Pain stepped inside the secret room, but Konan remained where she was. Before closing the entrance, Pain turned to Konan for the last time. "And he's not a stupid man. He's probably feeling very burden-free right now."

The secret door slid shut. Konan was left alone outside. She was supposed to accompany Pain's original body, but she decided to stall and reclined to the wall. For once, while no one was looking, she let herself smile, even if it was very small. "You've learned to be merciful, Nagato, for which I am glad." She put a hand on her chest; inside, a yellow sun was shining its glorious light to a country of golden savannah. "I know how relieved you are, knowing the thief has not only stopped working, but also will not attack your territory. You know…from Kakuzu's explanation alone." She started to walk again, stepping slowly. Her hand was still on her chest. "I don't know if you realize this, Nagato, but the organization has a bigger meaning to you now, more than just a device to accomplish your dreams of world peace."

Smiling still, Konan walked up to the highest floor of the tower, where Nagato resided. The smile only disappeared once she was behind the entrance to his chamber. But even so, her feelings were still smiling.

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi turned her attention away from the rain-sprinkled window to her brother. He had just returned from the Leader's office, reporting their last mission's progress and outcome. Three hours prior to their return to the headquarters, Kakuzu had explained their top secret mission. Apparently, Pain was getting suspicious of newcomer criminals. He wanted them to be observed and if they were harmful—as in, they might put their attention to his territory—he wanted them dead before they disrupt his goals.

Kakuzu said to her, even though he knew that Nagayoshi would never steal anything in Amegakure, that he will still make a cover-up story for her, just in case Pain was not in a good mood to forgive anybody. Kakuzu refused to have Hokko beside him when he deliver the report, stating that Hokko's face was easier to read, thus enabling Pain to quickly notice something was off. He was awfully relieved when Pain decided not to do anything to him or his sister.

In return to Kakuzu's willingness to spill out the truth, Nagayoshi did the same. She explained to both her brother and Hokko how she began to get interested into becoming a phantom thief with Deidara's help. She told them about to whom she sold all the stolen artifacts.

As a consequence to the trouble she brought to herself and Deidara, Kakuzu decided to give her a punishment. He punished her not because of the stealing, but because of the danger she was putting herself into. Nagayoshi was grounded for the next two months. She accepted her punishment, thinking that she deserved it.

"So?" asked Nagayoshi, approaching her brother as he took off his mask and headgear. "From the looks of it, I don't think I'm going to die, but how is it?"

"You're right, you're not going to die. But I don't think he entirely believed me either. I guess he trusts me to give you the punishment." Kakuzu answered.

Nagayoshi smiled, but it soon disappeared, replaced by her other concern. "Hey, Oniisan…"

Kakuzu turned to her.

"How long is two months, especially when you do almost nothing?" the girl asked.

"It doesn't take long, really. All you need to do is do something productive."

"Like what?"

"Well, you got the shape you like from your chakra form alteration. Why don't you just get yourself used to using it and make something fancy?" Kakuzu suggested. His sister beamed. "If you want to, I can help a little, although it's more to your own try."

"You will?" Nagayoshi asked, still beaming. Then the wide grin disappeared. "But what if you have to go for a mission?"

Kakuzu shrugged. "You can ask one of your good buddies to help you with your practice. No sweat. Just…promise me one thing."

Nagayoshi nodded. "Sure. Anything."

"Stop doing stupid things. You can still steal, just not on a massive scale. At least not while I'm alive."

Nagayoshi laughed, startling Kakuzu with the outburst of voice. He was even more startled when Nagayoshi circled her arms around his torso. Nagayoshi looked up to his face, smiling. "I promise, Oniisan."

The tall man smirked. He put one hand on Nagayoshi's head. The arguing of yesterday and the days before was replaced by this warm hug. Despite their huge age gap and different background, the adoptive siblings could work as fine as blood siblings.

* * *

**As always, to me, there's a dislike and like part. What I like is how events turn up. There are more complex scenarios, but I refuse to use 'em plus I don't want to have a side-conflict as intricate as those made by Kishimoto-sensei himself. What I dislike is the dryness of the sentences here. I tried to be more artistic, but then it was 12-2 A.M. when I was writing this chapter. Probably my brain was too tired to think of beautiful words. But midnight is the time with least distraction.**

**Anyway, according to my rough drafts, there are no events happening in Nagayoshi's fourteenth age, so expect a one-year time-skip. Yes, sue me. I'm so lazy to make side stories. But since I hate fillers, I think that's no surprise. Happy holidays to all of you!**

**Oh, there's no _Next_ part, telling what may happen in the next chapter since I'm still deciding on whether to write a side story or jump directly to fifteen-year-old Nagayoshi. If you guys can help, that'll be great. Fail me… -_-**


	9. Falling

**Chapter 9: Falling**

* * *

It was a day as ordinary as any other day with sun shining, breeze blowing, and mother animals feed their young as the autumn rose to its peak of the season. A nightingale flew, avoiding fallen leaves and entered a hollow in a tree's trunk. Two chicks approached her, one of them was not supposed to hatch with her—a cuckoo chick. She fed each of her babies; the cuckoo chick ate more than its sibling. Running out of food for her chicks, the nightingale left the nest again.

The chicks decided that they wanted to roam around the nest, looking for adventure. They didn't realize that they were not ready to fly. The adventurous baby nightingale valiantly walked its way to the entrance of its nest. It wanted to fly, but it wasn't ready and it fell instead.

"Whoop!" Hokko hopped and caught the baby bird just in time before it killed itself. The chick was confused; it did not understand that the gentle giant had just saved its life. Hokko didn't need recognition for his deeds. Anyway, the nightingale was just a baby. The cowboy ninja hopped to the nearest branch to the nest. He put the baby bird in its respectful home. He noticed there was someone else in there. "Well, howdy! You're a little too big for a nightingale, aren't you?" the cowboy ninja said when he caught a peek of the baby nightingale's 'brother'.

Fearing the mother may not welcome his presence too close to her kids, Hokko jumped down from the tree. He landed harmlessly just as lightning zapped horizontally across him. When he walked towards a large rock, three hummingbirds with size three times the normal one whizzed to the opposite direction to the first lightning. He hopped to the top of the rock and there he found his masked partner, without the uniform cloak, sitting and watching his sister and one of his masked monster sparring.

"Am I too late?" Hokko asked, taking out a cigar from his pocket. He took off his hat, exposing his hairless head to the windy autumn air.

"Well, it has been three hours since they started sparring. I'm afraid it'll end sometime soon." Kakuzu answered, not bothering to look at Hokko lighting up his cigar by blowing fire from his mouth, using his fire element chakra.

"No matter. So far is interesting already."

A ball of electricity accumulated between the lightning mask's horns. Then on the monster's command, the ball of condensed electricity lunged at the now-fifteen-year-old Nagayoshi. The girl shot a massive-sized Raihou to counter the electric canon ball. The current dissipated upon impact, dispersing into the air with a blinding light. Nagayoshi used the chance to move; she launched another hummingbird bolt, bigger this time. The bird's wing flap caused a buzzing noise of a bee amplified five times. The monster swatted the bird, but before his hand could touch it, it divided into hundreds of tiny needles and punctured many spot of his body. He roared and knelt, focusing to make his wounds closed.

It only took the monster about twenty seconds to recover and then he could fight again. However, Kakuzu was already in front of him, his back facing the black bodied monster. Unquestioningly, the monster slithered back into Kakuzu's body.

Nagayoshi raised an eyebrow. She still felt like she could another two hours of sparring. As Kakuzu buttoned his uniform cloak on, Nagayoshi jogged towards him. "Oniisan, I'm not finished yet! C'mon, don't tell me you've got—"

She somersaulted backwards and the ground where she stood previously fractured by a hand bigger than her hands. It was a shock; Kakuzu suddenly appeared before her, fist prepared to smash her. It was a good thing she noticed it coming. But she still didn't understand: why?

The dust from the earth punch faded and revealed no signs of Kakuzu on the ground. Nagayoshi gasped and hurriedly rotated her neck to all directions to find her brother. He was nowhere to be found. Except…

Nagayoshi jumped off just as Kakuzu emerged from under the ground, like a great white shark's iconic death fly. Kakuzu wasn't done yet; he shot his upper arm with the help of his tendrils. Nagayoshi launched off a few lightning hummingbirds but the hand evaded with ease. He caught her on the front of her top. He brought her down to the ground. But Nagayoshi wasn't going to give in. The hummingbirds flew around and pecked at the tendrils until they were cut.

Nagayoshi landed with a roll but Kakuzu had already had his eyes on her. Before she realized it, he was behind her. "You let your guard down, sister." he murmured.

Nagayoshi swerved her elbow to hit on his side, but Kakuzu's other hand caught her and stopped her. Mercilessly, he forced her arms behind her back and made her kiss the earth. His hand was on top of her head, pressing her down. Nagayoshi struggled to get free and she resolved to an old trick: coursing the electric current all over her body.

"Nice try, but that won't work on me." Kakuzu said, and then he changed from pressing with his hand into his arm which was covered with the sleeve of his cloak. "Five years, Nagayoshi, and you still can't beat me."

Nagayoshi grunted, still wriggling to escape. "You attacked me by surprise!"

"So what? Many ninjas do surprise attacks. I'm sure you've experienced more than enough of that in all these years."

Now Nagayoshi's argument was beaten too. Kakuzu was right. She lost count on how many times ninjas and street thugs attacked them with a sudden bolt. But why did Kakuzu have to be the one she could not beat?

"Do you hesitate to blow a deadly punch on me?" Kakuzu asked, as if reading her upcoming voice of the mind. "Are you afraid to hurt me?"

Nagayoshi slowed her breathing down and answered, "You're basically invincible, how can I be afraid to hit you?" She lifted her head a little, although it was hard since Kakuzu's arm was holding her head down. "I don't know, okay? Anyway, you have decades' worth of experience and you've watched me fight ever since I could remember. You've memorized all of my tricks! Now let me go!"

Kakuzu obliged. He removed all hands and lifted her on the collar to help her stand. "This reminds you of the old days, doesn't it? Only this time, you have more attacks and whatnot." he said, walking ahead of her back to the headquarters.

Cleaning the dirt from her face, Nagayoshi responded with bitterness. "Yeah, sure."

All of a sudden, Kakuzu was stopped in his tracks. A surge of energy rushed into his head. He felt his head was like a bell being pulled on the rope and he could hear his brain ringing. On the large rock, Hokko stood, nodding at him.

"Come." Kakuzu said. His tone of speaking had changed. "We've been called."

**|-oOo-|**

"I thought you guys are, like, the strongest team in Akatsuki—or something like that—but why are you guys chosen to kick some arrogant, selfish, no-shame bully's butt into oblivion? Isn't there anyone less powerful than you guys but still capable of kicking that guy's butt?" Nagayoshi groaned. Yep, here goes the venture routine again.

Despite Nagayoshi's ranting, Kakuzu did not put his exasperated face on this time. She has the very right reason to be annoyed; even Kakuzu's jaws nearly dropped when Pain told him of his new mission. However, Kakuzu had the answer.

"The problem is: all official government forces have failed to stop this guy. We are the country's last resort." Kakuzu said. And he expected Nagayoshi's eyes to expand dramatically.

She was the last to know because she was told not to enter Pain's office by Konan. She didn't understand why, but Pain had kept his distance with her. She knew it wasn't because he feared her powers—what power does she have, anyway, to cause such great fear to Pain, the God of Amegakure? He was not stupid too; even if Nagayoshi does have a magnificent power, he would have relied on her power more and even grant her membership to the organization. But the fact is not like that at all. Nagayoshi's last guess was the simplest guess any person would come up with: Pain disliked her. She wouldn't argue; she had been nothing but trouble. Why she was able to remain living in Akatsuki's headquarters probably because of her brother.

"Hold on a minute…" Nagayoshi began, after a few seconds of thinking, "you mean the government personally asked us to beat the bully into pulp?"

"Precisely. You should be proud, you're helping the government."

"Well, I will—if I understand what's going on in their mind. All the things printed in the newspaper confuse me sometimes. They can be very aloof, you know."

The two older men did not give responses to Nagayoshi's statement. Nagayoshi didn't push them to answer her. For a citizen—criminals, especially—the government was not the most understandable pack of people.

The three of them ventured many leagues, crossing the Fire Country and avoiding any unnecessary quarrels and watchful ninjas of Konohagakure. It had been years since Nagayoshi had had such a long journey. Heading east, it was the opposite direction to where she came from, but Kumogakure was located a little bit to the northeast.

They began to collect information from the people and authority figures. They all generally complained about the thug's terror. His terrorism act was not up to Deidara's caliber, though. He only kidnapped and threatened to kill his hostage up in the air. He then demanded a hefty amount of money and had it brought by a non-ninja, preferably an uneducated child. After receiving his loot, he would 'gladly' return his hostage—by dropping him from his airborne position. Most of the hostages were unharmed as they were caught by ninja passersby or well-prepared townspeople, but there were four who died from cardiac arrest—heart attack—from the shock of being dropped. With the size of his avian ride, he could easily shoo off captors and ran away with his loot. The guy was not strong, but cunning to the point that Nagayoshi was interested to learn from him.

One night, while he and his team were staying in a town, he asked the mayor a little information. He asked if he had requested help from the five great shinobi countries. The mayor shook his head, his eyebrows drooped back. He told Kakuzu that the five countries charged too high that even the landlord of Gold Country—the small country the thug reined his terror in—can't afford. The mayors and the landlord resolved to seek help from mercenaries by putting a prize on the thug's head. Unfortunately, the prize they put was not enough to persuade high-caliber bounty hunters and those who were lured didn't stand a chance against the power of the thug's avian ride.

The mayor counted on Kakuzu immensely and gave a possible hint where the thug may go. He was closing in to Kumogakure, trying to conquer the most fearsome and invincible Kage. Kakuzu held back a snort of disdain.

_The Raikage? Please…_

Nevertheless, being on duty, Kakuzu and his team went straight off to the possible scene of crime. They jumped their way from trees to trees to accelerate their search and arrive early. At this point, Nagayoshi's electromagnetic sensor was the most helpful in finding their target.

They entered a dense forest. The forest was so dense that the three of them can jump over up to ten tree branches. It was two in the afternoon too, but light was scarce. In an environment such as this, the trio had to be careful. Upon entering, they had sensed predators watching on them. Thanks to their speed, the predators held their killing intention. They have learned; people like them are dangerous. Trying to eat them means an instant death sentence.

Nagayoshi wanted to get out of this forest. The darkness and the uselessness of her electromagnetic sensor against anything furry fished her fear out of her. Every living thing secretes electromagnetic field or EMF for short. However, those who are ninjas secrete more amount of EMF due to their chakra. The stronger the chakra, the more EMF produced. For some reason, though, ninjas who wear fur on their attire are able to weaken the secretion of EMF, making Nagayoshi often mistake them for animals. That weakness had caused her to fall from victory—twice.

Suddenly, her pores buzzed with a finding. It was no mistake; human—ninja—presence. Nagayoshi called her older teammates. "There's someone five clicks ahead. It could be him—whoever his name is."

Kakuzu nodded. "Let's hurry." he commanded.

The three ninjas accelerated more. Soon, the forest was filled with thundering and crashing noises combined together. The smell of moss and water lingered in the air. Temperature dropped down slightly. A fast-moving river coursed fifty feet below them. Not a stream one can enjoy a dip in or use for rafting as the violent current may as well crash them against a rock.

Something soft and light landed on top of Kakuzu's head. He grabbed that object and studied it. It was a white feather, but the size was as long as Kakuzu's hand and half of his arm. He stared at it in confusion. What bird could own a feather so big? And based on the soft texture, it was a feather from the wings. Then it had to be a very big bird.

More feathers swung left and right down to the three ninjas. The feathers were the same as the one Kakuzu found landing on top of his head. People who were victims to the thug kept saying something about an avian ride. Some said it was a stork because it had long legs and neck. Some others said it was an eagle because of the sharp pointed beak and the sound it created. The feathers that were gently raining upon them may be the avian ride the people had been talking about.

Light sparkled from Kakuzu's hand, followed by faint smoke. Kakuzu whipped his sight to his hand with alarm—and he had a reason to react so. Painted in black on the stem of the feather were seal markings of an explosive tag. Reflexively, Kakuzu tossed it aside. Shortly after the ignition of the first feather, the others followed.

"Look out!" he shouted, turning around.

A series of explosions blew several trees off, creating a hole for light to strike through the dense forest. Smoke hovered from the hole on the forest. Vision range was zero and the smoke turned the cool and fresh air suffocating.

The smoke dissipated quickly, driven by a swirling rush of wind around a ten-foot whirlpool. The trio was inside the whirlpool, unharmed by the explosion. Kakuzu made a quick decision and pulled his teammates near him before launching _Suijinheki_ to protect them and himself. The pulling was far from gentle, but that just saved Hokko and Nagayoshi's life.

"Impressive!" a voice echoed. The voice was high in pitch, but it belonged to a man. "Well, it's not like I killed anyone with the bombs, but all of the shinobis that fell for the trap came out with burned clothes. You think pretty quickly."

Kakuzu dispatched his _Suijinheki_, letting the water splashed back into the river. The smoke started to clear up and Kakuzu could see a silhouette of a giant bird flapping its massive wings. The wings' flapping direction changed and it sent a powerful wind towards the trio. The wind's speed forced them to apply more chakra to their feet in order to prevent falling.

"Ugh! My worst enemy!" Nagayoshi shouted, her voice kidnapped by the wind.

"But it's my advantage." Hokko said. Making a series of hand seals, he threw a long trail of fire from his mouth. The wind caused the fire to divide themselves into floating embers. Hokko took that opportunity. _"Katon: Hooseki No Jutsu!"_

The embers chased after the thug as if he was a magnet. However, the thug wasn't out of ideas. He threw hundred of feathers and let them be burned instead.

The giant bird perched on tree branches of two trees and in its stationary state, Kakuzu and his team finally could cool off a little and pay attention more to the bird. Kakuzu squinted. The bird did have long neck, long legs, sharp pointed beak, white feather, and wide wings covered half in black feathers. However, it was neither a stork nor an eagle; it was a secretary bird, mainly found in savannahs, hunting on snakes. The difference of this secretary bird, however, was that it stood over twelve meters.

The thug hopped off from his ride. He didn't look amused. "Another batch of mercenaries, eh? Geez…everybody certainly does anything to stop me and they don't learn still." he moaned. "C'mon, humor me."

"You don't have to ask me twice, prick!" Nagayoshi replied behind him. She successfully put him off guard, letting her send a square blow to his face and then send him off flying with a spinning kick to the chest. The secretary bird squawked, offended by the abusive action to its master. It took off just as Nagayoshi jumped off the tree to catch up with the two older men.

The thug stopped rocketing in the middle of the air, a pair of powerful arms locked his arms from fighting back. Despite so, he still tried to fight back. Unfortunately, Hokko had more muscles than the guy.

"Hit 'im now!" Hokko shouted.

The thug's heart drummed faster. Kakuzu—even bigger than Hokko—was to launch a rock-like fist into his chest, killing him. The thug's last resort was to fight some more. But he didn't fight much; he saw a backup.

Far before Kakuzu could reach the thug, he was struck by the secretary bird's large beak. The pointy end of the beak gashed on Kakuzu's rib. One inch deeper, and it'll pierce his lungs and heart. Not stopping there, the giant prey bird even flung Kakuzu away into the woods and crashing into trees. He was fallen very deep into the woods, even Hokko couldn't tell whether he had fallen down to the ground or was stuck in between twigs and branches.

Using the distraction, the thug hit Hokko on the side and kicked on his knee cap. Hokko cried and let his arms off him. His opponent then turned the tables. He sent numerous of punches to the cowboy ninja's chest, stomach and face. Last, with both feet, he plummeted to the nearest tree trunk, Hokko acted as a cushion to his fall. They landed with a crash, causing a crate on the wooden surface of the tree. While the cowboy ninja moaned in pain, the thug smiled sinisterly at him.

"That's what you get for messing with us, Abura and Kyoushi! You think I can't fight on my own? Well, you're wrong, loser!" he spat on Hokko's face.

Groaning, Hokko said, "Watch the way you speak to elders, boy…" He opened his mouth and the same trail of fire burst out from his mouth. Abura reflexively jumped away. Something caught him in midair again but this time, he was the one thrown to the trees instead. Splaying weakly on the debris of woods, he realized most of his body was coiled in black tendrils. The masked man had risen from the debris with a little dirt and a big wound on his ribs.

"Kyoushi!" he screamed for help as Kakuzu's figure loomed over him. His sheer killing intent oozed from the glare of his jade eyes. The masked man prepared his killing hand. Abura screamed for his bird friend again.

Kakuzu heard an ear-shattering screech behind him, but he didn't care about it. Hokko took his position, standing back-to-back with him. While Kakuzu was finishing the job, Hokko protected his back.

Kyoushi reared its neck, going to unleash its lethal beak snatch. Hokko inhaled, he, too, was ready to attack. Then this sound distracted the both of them. It was like a buzzing colony of bees, but the sound was louder than a normal colony of bees. It was a giant hummingbird made of lightning bolts magnetized together in a certain fashion.

The size of the hummingbird was only half of the secretary bird, but was faster and it flapped its wings in the speed of sound. On its back, there was a chain of lightning bolts leading to Nagayoshi, standing on a tree. She was slightly tired. Mustering all that amount of electricity was not as easy as licking an ice cream. She even used her old retractable alloy baton to ease up the process.

The secretary bird used its claws to rake at the hummingbird. It made a lot of screeching noises, expressing its intent to fight. Nagayoshi's hummingbird only dodged. She tried to aim at its head, but its long neck and the flying fight stance put its head far from her hummingbird's reach. She knew that its feet were also weak spots, but unfortunately, she couldn't put her hummingbird into electrocuting mode. There was not enough touch for it to disperse into an electric shock.

Meanwhile, Abura tried to run away, but Kakuzu stomped on his ankle, not letting him escape. Abura looked to the side and saw his flying companion was in a little bit of trouble. With no warning, he whistled hard and loud. He didn't stop until Kakuzu forced him to by smashing his face to a big branch.

That whistled flicked a mind switch to Kyoushi, the secretary bird. It flapped its wings and drove itself away from Nagayoshi's hummingbird. Then it flapped its wings again, harder and harder in every move. Eventually, the flapping was so hard that it caused a powerful wind close to the power of a tornado. Nagayoshi tried to push her hummingbird forward but as it flew, it started to disappear like dust. It could not stand against its natural opposite. Nagayoshi's fingers began to fail her, abused by the force of her elemental weakness, and when the wind blew the last fraction of her creation, she dropped her baton only for the wind to run off with it.

Kyoushi stopped flapping its wings at Nagayoshi's direction and went after her instead. The girl was unaware of it until Kyoushi's talons caught her like a mouse. She screamed as the predatory bird brought her up into the sky.

"Nagayoshi-chan!" Hokko shouted in alarm.

Kakuzu turned around in the same manner as Hokko. Then he turned back to Abura again with anger. "What is that animal going to do to her? Answer me!" he growled, slamming Abura against a tree branch and lifted him by his collar.

"She's going to die…" Abura answered, his face smiling. "Kyoushi is going to drop that kid from the sky and see her die as she splatters like an egg!"

Kakuzu's anger inflated and with a hoarse bellow, he rammed his rock fist to Abura's face. He repeated again and again to his heart's content. Hokko, on the other hand, only watched. He wanted to help the girl, but he could not fly. Even if he summoned his giant anthropomorphic horse, he still couldn't reach her. They were too high up in the sky. "She'll be okay. She's a strong girl, I know she can save herself." he whispered, hoping to assure himself.

Nagayoshi saw the world below her shrunk more and more. The air was getting thinner and breathing became harder. It felt like hiking up a mountain but with an express upward ride. _How high is this bird gonna take me? _Nagayoshi thought. She remembered of the stories she heard from the townspeople. Sometimes Abura would take a hostage and dropped the hostage from a certain height. Although nobody really fell to the ground, thanks to rescuing ninjas, but it gave Nagayoshi a clue of what the bird wanted to do to her. She had to force it to fly lower.

She used her left hand and shot several electric needles to the bird's wings. She surprised the bird and blurred its concentration to fly upward. Since it seemed to be working, she repeated.

The bird did fly lower with one of its wings hurt. Thinking it was enough nuisances from the girl, it prepared itself to drop the load by flying in stationary. Nagayoshi knew she was in greater danger, despite the latitude of falling had decreased. She gritted her teeth upon coming up with an idea. "If I'm gonna fall, you're coming with me, jerk."

Meanwhile, Hokko watched in amazement when the bird seemed to be distracted and flew lower. _Nagayoshi must have done something to it!_ he told himself. His confidence continued to rise until the bird held its position on one place and, _VWOOOOSH!_ Hokko jerked back with surprise. It was the largest launching of Raihou he had ever seen. It was so large and powerful that it was capable of piercing through the secretary bird.

But then, there came another and worse problem…

The bird fell to the ground and its talon was still clutching on Nagayoshi. It was falling and it brought Nagayoshi along with it. Hokko rushed with no further ado. With horror, he saw the bird fell into the river, splashing liters of water around. Feathers rained the dense forest. Some had bloodstain on them. The rapid current washed its blood but was incapable of moving its body with it. Both of its talons were deep in the river, sinking the girl.

Hokko was too late.

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**Finally, it's finished. It actually took more than half of my holiday to write, but it's mainly because I'm too captivated by cool games I found in Facebook. I've longed to write the last part, where Nagayoshi kills the bird and falls into the river. I've had this idea long time ago. In fact, this arc is actually one of the first plots I've come up with when I start developing Nagayoshi's story. So can you imagine how excited I am to write this?**

**As usual, reviews, critics, and praises are loved and cherished. Enjoy the story.**

**[EDIT] Changed the latitude from twenty to fifty feet. Excuse my very poor sense of measurement.**


	10. The Search Begins

**Chapter 10: The Search Begins**

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The tree branch crashed and damaged more and more as Kakuzu slammed Abura against it, followed by his face-ruining punches. He slammed his fist repeatedly and to his ire and disgust, Abura only chuckled louder after every punch. Kakuzu became desperate and he just couldn't accept his behavior.

"Stop laughing!" he bellowed.

Abura inhaled and smirked. "I can't," he answered, "The loss of your foolish young teammate is my victory. I don't care if she's young, I'm just happy that I get to beat you on something before you kill me." He laughed again. Kakuzu punched him again.

"You lost your friend too! That fucking bird—isn't that thing mean something to you?" Kakuzu growled. This person was getting on his nerves. Wrong answer and Abura might regret for saying anything to him.

"Sacrifices must be made. Kyoushi's death is a great loss, alright, but I don't grieve too long. You should look at me for an example. Anyway, you can always get a new apprentice. There are plenty of kids out there."

Literally in a blink of an eye, Kakuzu's aura changed as he changed his way glaring at Abura. The small man's laughter and smile shrunk and drooped. His body trembled in Kakuzu's tightening fingers. His sweat glands cried in cold tears. Following his skin, his pants got wet too on the crotch area. He shouldn't have said that. Now he won't be killed by a man with a mission, he will be killed by an insulted demon.

**|-oOo-|**

Hokko bit his lip. The secretary bird was buried into the water nearly half of its stretched-out body. Both of its legs and talons were gone beneath the forty miles-per-hour rushing river. He hoped by the time he managed to get the bird out of the water, Nagayoshi was still stuck in its talons and alive.

He bit his thumb and tapped his whole hand to the ground. A sphere of smoke puffed from beneath his hands and a giant two-legged horse with the chest and hands of a human appeared from the smoke. His yellow eyes soon scanned the surrounding before looking down to see the man who summoned him.

"Hokko! Calling me so soon! Is there a battle coming? Where?" Moyasuke looked around again, excited with the idea of slaughtering an army with his weapon.

"No, Moyasuke. There ain't no fight this time." Hokko replied.

Moyasuke made an expression equivalent to human's eyebrow rising expression. He knelt on one knee, concerned of his usually-happy-go-lucky friend's change of aura. "What is it, old friend?"

"Rather than talkin' to me, could you just lift that dead bird out of the water? I'll explain later."

Moyasuke shrugged and wordlessly obliged to Hokko's request. He dipped his hooves into the water, nearly slipping but managed to withstand against the violent current. He put his hands under the bird's belly and with a heave, he lifted it up. He put the bird on dry land and stepped out of the river. He watched as Hokko ran towards the bird's feet. He grimaced when Hokko opened his wide hat and rubbed his bald head.

"What's the matter?" Moyasuke asked.

"Do you see somethin' stuck in one of the talons when you lift it out?" Hokko asked him hurriedly.

Moyasuke shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure there was nothing stuck in it." he answered. "Maybe it dropped somewhere. I'll go look for it."

"Not an 'it'. 'She'." Kakuzu interjected. Hokko and Moyasuke turned their attention to him. His hands were smeared with blood and the man whose body he dragged behind him looked ten times as horrible as his hands. He left his victim near a rock and rushed to the secretary bird's body. "Where is she?"

"I don't know." Hokko answered with a shaky breath. "I saw her—she was still stuck in one of the talons when it fell. If she escaped, she won't keep such suspense. Moyasuke is searching for her in the river."

Kakuzu walked by, dismissing every word Hokko just said. He wanted to make sure by himself. He checked every inch of the bird's body, just in case if Nagayoshi found a way to crawl to the bird's feathered body to grab a hold on under the rushing river. But that sounded impossible. The bird's legs were too long from the body, even as it flew. He inspected further on the talons and found that one of them was coiled, as if it was grabbing something. Nagayoshi.

He looked between each claws, looking for any sign. Less than a minute later, he found a piece of clothing. It was a black polyamide jacket with polyester body lining. Better known to Kakuzu as Nagayoshi's comfy jacket she wore over a white, baggy, sleeveless shirt.

"Hokko!" he called his partner. "This is the only thing I can find."

"Her jacket!" Hokko gasped, taking the clothing from Kakuzu's hands. "Then she did escape, didn't she?"

"No, I don't think so." Kakuzu replied, grave in his tone. "She probably slipped from the talon's grasp and washed away by the river. Our best chance to find her is in the river."

"Moyasuke is on the job. Meanwhile, I found this near here." Hokko handed Kakuzu a weapon he knew too well. It was Nagayoshi's retractable alloy baton. She stole it from a man who, according to her story, had four arms. "I saw her lost it when she first fought against this giant bird. She used it to create that giant hummingbird of hers."

Silence ran between them and it ran for about three minutes. Each man had his own thoughts. Finally, Hokko broke the silence and tapped Kakuzu on the shoulder. Kakuzu looked at the eye patched ninja with a blank yet emotional face.

"Hey, while Moyasuke and I'm searching for the girl, how about if you go back to the town and deliver the guy's body?"

"No." Kakuzu quickly replied. "I've had enough of that piece of shit. I'll look for my sister and you'll deliver him back to town and claim our payment. If they don't pay, kill them all. I ain't going through this for nothing!" he commanded. As soon as he said that, he stormed along the riverbank.

Hokko sighed but he obeyed Kakuzu anyway. He could understand what Kakuzu was feeling at the moment and he had better respect his choice if he wanted to keep helping him find Nagayoshi. He took the dead man and carried him on his shoulder. He summoned one of his riding horses and tied the dead body on its back before climbing along. Without further ado, he rode his way back to the town.

**|-oOo-|**

Hokko returned two hours later. Replacing the dead man's body was a bag of cash. It was one hundred and fifty thousand Ryou—obviously not a gold figure to the high-caliber bounty hunters. The reason Kakuzu, who was considered as a high-caliber bounty hunter, accepted this job was that he was ordered to. If he hadn't been ordered, he would let the Kumogakure officials finish Abura and he wouldn't have to deal with this.

Upon arriving on the riverbank, he noticed Moyasuke was still working hard to find Nagayoshi in the river and he was nine miles ahead of the starting point. And it seemed like he didn't find her yet. Another thing Hokko noticed was the absence of his partner. He thought Kakuzu would be the one with the most drive to find the missing girl.

Ignoring his excessive worries, he walked towards Moyasuke. He jumped to the nearest tree and called his gigantic friend. "Moyasuke!" he called. "Short on luck, aren't we?" he said, lower this time. He didn't mean to decrease the spirit, but it was dead obvious. If they were lucky, either Moyasuke or Kakuzu would have found at least a trace or a sign.

"I'll keep searching. I may not know this kid as well as you do, but I can see from your eyes that she's pretty important."

"One eye, remember that." Hokko corrected, pointing at his eye patch covering what used to be his right eye.

Moyasuke nodded. "Right. One eye. Sorry."

"Don't sweat it, ol' pal. Say, where's my partner gone to?"

Moyasuke answered by pointing one giant index finger at a tree somewhere across the river. Five seconds later, _CRASH!_ And the tree Moyasuke was pointing at fell, its trunk destructed by a single fist.

"Oh, boy. He's darn pissed!" Hokko remarked. He was quite surprised to see that kind of reaction from Kakuzu. He knew the man have emotions and they tend to swing easily, as told by fellow Akatsuki members and Nagayoshi. He had heard of Kakuzu's temper tantrum and he was hoping he wasn't dealing with it. "I'll talk to him. Keep searching, Moyasuke."

"Hokko, wait—"

Too late. Hokko jumped towards Kakuzu's location. He approached him carefully. He could hear his heavy breathing and the snarls between each breath. He reminded Hokko of a wolf or a tiger during the peak of the mating season where males usually are looking for a fight and, thus, become more uncontrollable and more vicious.

"Kakuzu-san…" Hokko called tentatively. "Kakuzu-san, I know you're upset because you can't find Nagayoshi-chan until now, but there's no reason for you to throw your desperation on an innocent tree."

"Now, listen up, lil' guy." Moyasuke spoke, his voice overpowered Hokko's. He squatted so he could face Kakuzu better. "I've been searching the river endlessly for the last two hours and I still don't find her. To be honest, I think she's gone."

"Moyasuke!" Hokko cried at the giant horse-man in disbelief.

"The river's current is fast like hell, she could have been washed away farther than I have scoured. She could be drowned in some whirlpool or maybe eaten by some crocodile—"

"You keep talking then I'm gonna rip your throat straight out of your neck!" Kakuzu bellowed, punching down another tree. "If you've given up, fine! I'll find her myself and I'll prove you she's alive! I don't give up as easily as you!"

"Then what the hell were you doing just now? You release your desperation on something else like a kid! Was that supposed to help you find her? Does a fallen tree tell you clues of her whereabouts? If you really are going to search for her then hit the road already!" Moyasuke roared. His voice echoed throughout the forest, the sound wave scared the birds and other animals. Only one, however, found answer from his voice, or words, more precisely.

Kakuzu lowered his head, all the raging aura ceased at once. The horse tamed the human and brought him to sense. Kakuzu sighed, guilt tainting his breath. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded and looked up to Moyasuke again. "You're right," he muttered, "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I know." Moyasuke cut. "You're not the first to get that from me." he said, looking down at Hokko. Then he added, "Still, part of what I said was true. Your sister may have been washed away. I suggest you better stop searching inch-by-inch and instead look from one civilization to the other. But I can't help you anymore."

"That would be fine." Kakuzu said. "I can do it on my own now."

"Hey, don't forget me, buddy!" Hokko added. "I ain't sittin' and waitin' for ya! I'm taggin' along!"

Moyasuke nodded and stood up. "Then, I'll be going."

"Moyasuke." Kakuzu called. The horse-man waited. "Thank you."

For the first time in Kakuzu's life, Moyasuke smiled warmly and disappeared in a large puff of smoke. Kakuzu didn't want to wait for the smoke to disappear, so he immediately opened his map. First, he pinpointed their location, which wasn't too hard for him. After that, the search was on.

Or so they thought.

The strange yet familiar ringing sense in his head returned. Kakuzu didn't hold back his grumbling or his curling fists. He didn't even hide his complaint of frustration: "Why is the higher authority always in the way of something important?"

The two men unwillingly sat and connected their minds to their hologram in the meeting point. When they opened their eyes, two holograms stood before them. They were Pain and Konan's holograms. Pain's purplish eyes stared Kakuzu's jade ones and his voice, broken through the hologram, spoke, "Report."

"We've just finished a few hours ago." Kakuzu answered.

"Then there's no time to waste. Return to the headquarters immediately."

Kakuzu grimaced, but his hologram didn't show that. "That we can't." he replied.

Pain's eyes narrowed and slanted. "Explain yourself, Kakuzu."

"We lost Nagayoshi during our battle against Abura. We're just about to search for her." Kakuzu answered. He could taste foul feelings in the air, despite the only working sense in his current state was his eyes. It wasn't hard to be sensed. He knew Pain and Nagayoshi were not in good terms, though slightly.

"Let me repeat myself: return to the headquarters—immediately!" Pain said, his voice rose at the end.

"And leave my sister? If I know she's alive and in good condition, I will return to the headquarters, but her status now is D.O.A! I can't sleep until I know about her well-being!" Kakuzu retorted. Almost as usual, these two men's tongues clashed in a heated battle of persuasion and reasoning.

"She has no meaning to me."

"She has to me!"

"You are to return to the headquarters immediately and heed my words, Kakuzu! I will go after you and your sister myself if you disobey." And he disappeared from the conversation. Konan was left confused whether to follow her old friend or follow her sympathy. Her eyes met Hokko's single eye.

"Konan-san, please…"

Konan did not speak, but she disappeared. Hokko closed his eye and sighed as he returned to reality. Kakuzu punched the ground, creating a hole.

"Arrogant jerk…" he hissed.

Hokko sighed again and stood up. "C'mon, Kakuzu-san," he said, "we better get goin'. We can continue searchin' for her after we get back to HQ."

"I can disobey him. I'll face him. Yes, that wouldn't be a problem." Kakuzu murmured. He was full of determination, but at the same time, his voice showed Hokko an immature planning.

"Kakuzu-san! Think straight, partner, you can't defeat him! You saw his power in our last day of battle against the Salamander Army! Nobody could touch him!" Hokko reprimanded. "You may be strong, even stronger than Kisame-san, but you're just no match for him. And, plus…if you face him and you die, you'll only put Nagayoshi-chan in greater danger facin' Pain-sama alone. She can't even beat you in a spar, how is she able to defeat him?" Hokko knelt before the masked ninja and put his hand on one of his shoulders. "Don't let your anger and frustration eat you, Kakuzu-san. I promise, we'll find her. I'm taggin' along, remember?"

With a heavy heart, Kakuzu nodded and stood. But his determination hadn't died down. He told Hokko, "Your horses run three times faster than an average ninja, right?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"We'll ride on your riding horses and take the shortcut. Our search will also proceed in the same way. I want the wasted time paid off."

Hokko grinned. Kakuzu's mood may not have gone better yet, but he wanted to celebrate the return of his problem solving abilities. "No problem!"

**|-oOo-|**

The journey back to Akatsuki HQ took them two-and-a-half days and the men's business with Pain only took a few minutes. After that, they immediately head outside the headquarters and mount on Hokko's riding horses. Before they dash, the appearance of an Akatsuki member stopped them from doing anything.

"Heading out so soon? I thought you two leave tomorrow." Konan said, walking closer towards them.

"Well, if you miss us, you can just send us a—" Kakuzu put his hand over Hokko's mouth, preventing him to say anything that may sound unorthodox to him.

"I've wasted too much time coming back here. We'll begin searching in towns and villages near the river." Kakuzu explained, taking the leash on his horse. "Now what are you doing here?"

"You may not like this, Kakuzu, but this is another condition from Pain." Konan said. She could see Kakuzu resisting his eyes from rolling. "He didn't want to be short of men, so in order to prevent you two from being off-duty for too long, he gives you a month to find Nagayoshi. If after thirty days you still haven't found her, you are commanded to return and abandon the search. And if you disobey, he will take your rings by force and replace you with someone else—probably with someone more obedient."

Kakuzu sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I accept the condition. That actually drives me to find Nagayoshi more. But it's not like him to give a little freedom, especially not to me. What is going on in him?"

"I persuaded him a little." Konan answered. "And he had given you a little freedom before and it was even longer than this. Moreover, it was even before you have Nagayoshi."

Both men's eyes beamed. Hope had come to them through the only woman member of Akatsuki. "You did? Really?"

"Initially, he wanted me to stop you two from going, but I said some things that changed his mind. You know him, he's not very hard to negotiate with. The only problem is like most of you: ego."

"Like us?" Hokko asked, pointing at himself and Kakuzu.

"Yes, you two and the rest of the members. You all have the same amount of ego."

"What makes you so sure?" Kakuzu asked this time. Unknown to him, it was his ego speaking.

"I see it all the time. Being the only woman has its own advantage. Now, go. No one is stopping you."

Kakuzu and Hokko turned their horses towards their designated direction, but the masked ninja stopped once more. Something else still bothered his mind. "Wait, why are you helping us?"

"Don't get me wrong. My relationship with your sister is not exactly friends, but I have my own reasons to help her. Anyway, it's not every day there's another female in the base."

Kakuzu shrugged. "Fair enough." he said. "Anyway," he added, "that was the worst lie you've ever said in front of me."

The men whipped off their leash and the horses dashed towards the horizon. Konan was left with her eyes slightly opened wide. When she nearly couldn't see them anymore, she let herself smile softly. "Women have egos too, you know." she murmured.

* * *

**I feel like this chapter has more dialogue than narration, which makes it kind of weird to me since I'm a rambler. But at the same time, it feels good to cut the crap let the thing go as it is supposed to be. And I think I make Kakuzu a little bit weak here. I hope all of you Kakuzu fans are not mad with me. I'm just showing the logical reaction. Kakuzu may be a criminal, but he ain't a psychopath. About Pain being an easy person to negotiate with I think is true. Naruto can get through his ideals pretty quickly. If Naruto can, then imagine what Konan can do, being his close friend and all.**

**Enjoy the chapter, people! And to those who celebrate… Selamat Hari Raya! Minal aidin wal faidzin! :D**


	11. Salty Dog

**Chapter 11: Salty Dog**

* * *

The bamboo fountain clonked. Through the bamboo curtains, the midday sunlight shone. The beams touched the tatami floor and some touched the body of a girl lying down. One long beam shone right in front of her eyelids. It was a knock to her closed eyes. It was midday; she wasn't supposed to be sleeping.

Nagayoshi groaned and shaded her eyes with her arm. The sunlight now heated the skin on her arm. Shading her eyes made her realize that she was in a cozy room with wooden walls and traditional tatami as the floor. She blinked and her eyes widened. _Where is this? How the hell do I get here?_ she asked in her mind. She closed her eyes for a moment to recollect her latest memories. She was…fighting…against this giant bird. And then she mustered the strongest Raihou she had ever made. The giant bird died and fell to a river below it. She remembered the violent current crashing against her face. Then she slipped off her jacket to get away, since her jacket was stuck in the bird's talons. But the current was too strong for her. As soon as she got out of the talon's grasp, she was swept away by the current and…that was all!

Her breath quickened. She wondered what may have happened to her after the current swept her away. Did Kakuzu and Hokko saved her and brought her to this place? But this place was unfamiliar—did they took shelter in someone's home? Nagayoshi looked around but she found no signs of both men. She thought they may be waiting for her outside. _But Oniisan never wait for me outside. Either of them has to be waiting for me to wake up._ And yet, nobody was in the room.

Nagayoshi pushed her body up and as she repositioned her head straight, a part on the back of her neck stung with pain. She winced and brushed the pained part with her hand. Her eyes popped and she blinked in surprise. It was covered in bandage. She then realized it was not only her neck, but around her head too. It told enough of what may happened to her after she slipped away from the giant bird's talon. Most likely, she hit a rock and was injured from the impact.

She looked down and saw she was not in her usual white sleeveless shirt. Her clothes were replaced with a yukata. Above the fabric of the yukata, she was covered in blanket. She directed her eyes to the window. The sun may be shining, but her nose told her it just rained recently. Even her pores told her the air was still cool from the rain.

The sound of feet walking towards the room and the sound of the door sliding aside caught her attention. She was expecting either Kakuzu or Hokko but reality denied her expectation. An old woman with a tray of a cup and a kettle entered. Her white and wavy hair dangled just above her shoulders. She had narrow shoulders and the line remained straight until it reached her stomach and waist where it bloated slightly as a result of giving birth to a number of children. Her blue yukata with red and yellow flowers print covered the figure of her legs. Her skin began to loosen a little, her cheeks sagged. Despite so, her aura defeated the newly brewed tea she was bringing for Nagayoshi. And when Nagayoshi looked to her eyes, she noticed her ash grey eyes. It was close to the color of her own obsidian eyes, only lighter. Nagayoshi, who was nervous and worried, loosened the tension on her shoulders. She didn't know how, but she felt like she could trust this old lady.

"You're awake, finally." the old lady said. "Don't push yourself, darling. That's a pretty big wound you got on the back of your neck. If I hadn't found you sooner, you would've been dead. Now drink this." She handed Nagayoshi the cup, now filled with ginger tea, and the teenage girl accepted it.

She sipped carefully and suddenly, she noticed a crucial fact from what the old lady just said. She stopped drinking and whisked her head towards her. "Wait! Did you say you_ found_ me?"

The old lady blinked and replied, "Yes, I did. I found you lying unconscious on the beaver dam in the river near here. It's quite sweet though; the beavers didn't use you as a dam material and left you there on their house."

Nagayoshi missed the old lady's opinion on the beavers. Her body tensed again. The small detail had turned into a big detail. If she was found, then… "Isn't there anyone searching for me? Two big guys? One with a mask and the other one with a hat and an eye patch on his right eye?"

The old lady shook her head and her face attuned with the girl's emotions. "Who are they, sweety? It's alright, you can tell me."

"The guy with the mask is my brother—adoptive brother, actually. The guy with the hat is his partner. We're all ninjas. We were on a mission and in the fight against our target, I guess that's how I lost them—or they lost me…" Nagayoshi sighed buried her face in her hands. "I have to go and find them."

"What? But you're not in a good condition to go on a trip!" the old lady retorted.

"I'm sorry, Obaasan, but I have to—" The sentence was stopped by a groaning of pain. Her muscles ached. In the river, she didn't just crash against one object; she crashed onto a lot of objects. They may not cause a serious damage to her body, as the physical proof had shown, but they had battered her muscles like bread dough. The pain made her weak and she fell back. Before her injured neck and head made a wound-reopening impact, the old lady caught her with her hands.

"I told you you're not ready. You've been out for two days and there are a lot of bruises on your body." said the old lady, gently laying Nagayoshi's head back to the pillow. She then caressed the top of the girl's head to comfort her.

"Two days? Ugh…they must be looking everywhere for me. Or worse: they think I'm dead!" Nagayoshi whined.

"Now rest and drink your ginger tea. It will cure your muscle pains. Is there anything you want?"

Nagayoshi was about to decline her offer but a sound from within reminded her of her two days of absence in the conscious world. Sitting up again, she said to the old lady, "Food."

**|-oOo-|**

The next morning, Nagayoshi felt strangely alive. Her muscle pains had somehow disappeared. The sudden disappearance was too suspicious for her. Was it because of the tea? Did the old lady—whose name she still didn't know—put something in her ginger tea and omelet she ate yesterday? If so, then that 'something' was pretty damn powerful in curing muscle pains. And severe wounds too.

"Like how the hell is this happening?" Nagayoshi asked as she rubbed the back of her neck where the wound lied. It wasn't painful anymore. She couldn't believe her senses so she stripped the bandage off. It was not a joke; the wound was gone. She stripped the bandage around her head. No wound. Nagayoshi wanted to know how it was possible.

"How are you feeling?" the old lady said. Nagayoshi was so distracted by her newfound discovery that she didn't realize that the door had slid open. She turned around, her breath quickened.

"You did this?" Nagayoshi asked, showing the bandage in her hands.

"Aren't you glad that your wounds are healed?" the old lady asked back.

"That's not what I'm asking!" Nagayoshi retorted. Her voice rose to the point she was almost shouting. She quickly realized her rude behavior and fixed her manners. She cleared her throat. "Sorry. It-it's just…I'm in a place I'm not familiar with, my brother and his partner is nowhere nearby, and then this. It's just too much for me! Well, not as much as—never mind."

The old lady hushed the confused teenage girl and approached her with slow steps. She put both of her hands on Nagayoshi's face and caressed her latte skin with her wrinkle-skinned hands. With the old lady standing right in front of her, Nagayoshi found that she was standing as tall as her collarbone. Nagayoshi was 163 centimeters now, so this old lady may be somewhere in 150 centimeters. "Ssh…you're talking gibberish, child. Calm down. I know you have a lot of questions and I'm more than willing to answer them. But first, you have to calm down so that you can process what I say."

Nagayoshi nodded and took a deep breath. The old lady sat down and Nagayoshi followed suit. The two of them stared at each other for a while until the old lady asked, "Now, child, what is it that you want to ask?"

"Who are you?" Nagayoshi began.

"My name is Herasagi." she answered. Sincerity worked in-sync as shown by her eyes and her voice. "Now you know my name, let me ask yours. What is your name, child?"

"Nagayoshi. No last name. You see, I'm an—"

"Orphan. Yes, I suspect so." Herasagi cut in. She looked at Nagayoshi's eyes, now filled with a new set of questions. As she promised, she answered them, even though Nagayoshi hasn't said anything. "I found a tattered bag beside you when I found you on the beaver dam. I found several things in there: apples, scrolls and an old Kumogakure headband. And the fact that it has a large scratch on the middle, across the symbol, it tells me that you're also a missing nin."

Nagayoshi lowered her head a little in shame. "Some deduction you did. What makes you so sure that I'm a missing nin—apart from the obvious?"

"From my experience, criminals are mostly made of troubled people with troubled life. Orphans are one of them. Apart from that, it could be abuse from other people, war, a trauma that one can't easily forget, and revenge." Herasagi said.

Nagayoshi couldn't agree more. She was right. All Akatsuki members had nightmarish pasts. Her past was just as bad as theirs, only she somehow found a way to forget the earliest parts of her past. She nodded, confirming Herasagi's knowledge from experience. "You're right. I am a missing nin and so are my brother, his partner, and the people I've grown up with and my best friends." Admitting those felt like carrying a full-grown rhinoceros. Nagayoshi sighed heavily, "So now that you know the truth, are you going to turn me in?"

"Crime may not be my favorite thing, but that doesn't make me treat people differently. You were injured, you were hanging for life and you are young. Killing is also what ninjas do best, so I understand. I am not going to turn you in, Nagayoshi." Herasagi said. Her words were unbelievable. Nagayoshi had to stare at her for a long time until her smile gradually convinced her. "Anything else you want to ask?"

Nagayoshi blinked and then nodded. "Uh, yeah…. Where is this?"

"This is my house. I own a tea shop, directly connected to this house, facing the street. I started the business after I retired. I was a ninja too, but I decided to settle down and raise my children."

"You run this shop alone?" Nagayoshi asked.

"No. My grandson helps me. He's also retired due to an accident that makes him unable to be a ninja anymore, although he still could do one or two jutsus just fine. You'll meet him soon enough." Herasagi answered and smiled.

"Wait…you said you were a ninja? Ninja of where?"

"Kirigakure."

"So I'm in Land of Water now?" Nagayoshi asked. Once again, her tone rose sharply. If she was in Land of Water, then she had been washed across the sea! How could she survive and not being eaten when she was floating in the middle of the sea?

"No, this is not Land of Water territory. It is, though, a small country neighboring the Land of Water. After I retire, I want to raise my children in a peaceful place. Then I found this harbor village, Salty Dog Village."

Nagayoshi did a double take upon hearing the village's name. She could understand if this village, which was located near the sea, was named after a marine animal. But 'salty dog'? Dog is an animal, but just because it's salty it doesn't make it into a marine animal. Nagayoshi whistled, "Damn. I land on one of the weirdest places. Did you speak to the head of the village about changing the name?"

Herasagi laughed. "I think it's quite cute to name it 'Salty Dog'. Anyway, this village was founded by pirates."

"That explains..." Nagayoshi rolled her eyes. "Well, at least I know I'm not washed away _that_ far. That makes my trip home easier. Now, one last question: where are my clothes?"

Herasagi's shoulders dropped and her aura began to lose its warmth. Nagayoshi raised an eyebrow, still curious about the whereabouts of her clothes. Herasagi realized the look and quickly grabbed a set of clothing behind her. Nagayoshi saw her came with them on her hands. But there was one problem.

"Herasagi-san…those are not my clothes."

"Yes, I know. Even though your wounds can be healed, your clothes can't. They were severely torn so I had to dispose of them. These are my clothes when I was your age. I hope they don't look too…old-fashioned for you." Herasagi said. She gave Nagayoshi the clothes. The fifteen-year-old took it, since she had no choice.

Nagayoshi scrutinized the clothing Herasagi gave her. The top was white and the pants were beige. She dropped the pants and opened the top. She held the white top on the shoulders to get a better look of it. Like her old shirt, it was sleeveless but it was longer down to her knees. A zipper joined the left and right side together halfway through the entire clothing. Down to the bottom, the hem was divided into four parts.

Next, she looked at the pants. Beige in color, it ended on mid-calf. It seemed to be more fitted than Nagayoshi's last pants, which was baggy and had several pockets. This pair of pants only had four pockets, two on the front and another two on the back. It was made of polyester so it won't fit too tightly on Nagayoshi's contour and stretch instead. That is…if the size is the same as Nagayoshi's size.

"Won't you try them on?" Herasagi asked.

Nagayoshi nodded and undid her borrowed yukata. Her face turned red a little with Herasagi there watching her. But she tried to convince herself that Herasagi was also a woman, so there was no need to be embarrassed. Then an urge to blame the nearly-all-male Akatsuki came. Maybe since she grew up among men, she started to think like one. If only she hung out with Konan more and the woman wasn't so distant from the others…

She was amazed to find that the pants fit nicely on her. She rolled the ends to her knees, disliking how the pants must end in the middle of her calves. The top also fitted on her body, although she didn't expect the end of the zipper to be a little bit above her navel. That didn't bother her too much, though. Once she had done changing her clothes, she saw Herasagi's eyes were glimmering. Unsure what her eyes were saying, she asked, "Do I look weird?"

Herasagi shook her head fast. "No, no. Not at all. In fact, you remind me of myself when I was young." she answered.

"Except that I don't belong to the 'good guys'." Nagayoshi added. "Thanks, Herasagi-san. Now…where's my bag?"

There was a pause before Herasagi answered, "In my room. Two rooms to the right. Just look at the bamboo chime in front of the door."

Nagayoshi went outside and her steps were nearly halted by the view of Herasagi's backyard. The house was actually bigger than she previously had thought. The garden had a pond in the middle of which the bamboo fountain stood. She looked to both sides and noticed that there were more rooms than needed. Nagayoshi trod to the said direction, eyes mesmerized by every feature of the house. She stopped when she saw the bamboo chime and turned her direction towards the door in front of it. Before her hand touched the handle, the door slid aside, revealing a young adult man.

"WAAAH!" the man cried in surprise and stumbled backwards. He was about to fall flat on his rear if Nagayoshi didn't catch his arm. The man's reaction surprised Nagayoshi more than she was surprised because of the door opened before she could. Luckily, she could snap out of the shock quickly to prevent possible accidents.

"Dude, it's okay." Nagayoshi said. She pulled him up straight and asked, "You alright?"

"Y-yeah…I'm alright. Thanks." said the man. Now that he was standing straight, Nagayoshi could see him better. He had short black hair with a little bit of orange when the sun shone right upon it and he wore rimless glasses. His eyes were darker than Nagayoshi's shade. His stature was almost rectangular and did not consist of muscles. He seemed to be 170 centimeters tall, since his face and Nagayoshi's face were almost on equal level.

"Hey…it's you!" he said with a cheerful smile. "So now you can stand and walk around, eh? Looks like I haven't lost my touch at all!" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

Nagayoshi's brows skewed. "What are you talking about?"

"I just returned from visiting my parents yesterday and Obaachan asked me to use my medic ninja skills on you. So, are you feeling fine?" asked the young man.

Nagayoshi nodded. "Yeah. I feel great. And thanks for healing my injuries."

"No problem!"

"Oh, by the way, I'm coming to get my bag. Did you see it?" Nagayoshi asked, peeking behind the young man's shoulder to find her belonging.

"You mean this dirty and torn little bag?" he said, lifting said bag in his hand. "I'm drying it up. It's wet and the raining periods aren't helping at all. And since Obaachan has been keeping it inside her room for days, now her room smells like wet dog. I put the stuffs inside here, though."

"Thanks, but I'll take them." Nagayoshi said, stealing the bag from the man's hand. He jumped a little at how fast she was taking the bag from him. Nagayoshi rushed inside the room and stuffed her belongings into the bag.

"Wait…you're going already?" asked the man.

"Thanks to you, I'm up for a long journey." Nagayoshi said hurriedly. She stood and strapped her bag on her shoulder. She rushed out of the room and to the back door.

"Wait! Don't you want to try my new customer's favorite? It's on the house!" he tried to persuade. He thought Nagayoshi should have something to eat first before she embarked on a long journey home.

"Sorry, but I really have to go!"

"But it's baked apples with chocolate!"

Nagayoshi hit the brakes of her feet. Her forehead wrinkled as she considered the next step she was going to take. Her mind quarreled, going back or a short snack? _But it's apple plus chocolate plus free!_ she shouted in her mind. _But Oniisan must be looking for me or, at least, waiting for me. I don't want to make him worry. I've been gone for three days! Ugh…looks like I have no choice…_

"Alright, fine. I'll try your new specialized meal…" Nagayoshi said, turning back to face the young man. There was a slight change of skin color on her face.

"I may have only known you for one minute, but it looks like you're easily lured with apples." the young man commented.

**|-oOo-|**

The first reaction Nagayoshi got when the taste of baked apples with chocolate touched her mouth was to faint aback. The taste was beyond word's capability to explain. The next bite was twice as ravenous as the first one. She even asked for another one. Suddenly, the idea of going back to Akatsuki headquarters sounded like a static to the ears of her mind. The chocolate-covered apple blocked the voice of her conscience from reminding her that she had a bigger thing to do.

"How the hell do you make it so good?" Nagayoshi asked the young man with escalating tone.

The young man laughed and moved his index finger left and right. "It's a secret. Only me and Obaachan knows. I don't even tell it to my parents or my sisters."

"Oh, come on! I need to know! What am I gonna do when I'm craving for this thing? My home is leagues away from here, you know!"

"Well, if there's a place somewhere in your hometown, I might ask Obaachan to move the store there."

The both of them laughed. Nagayoshi looked at the young man. She started to like him and his friendly personality. She saw him conversed with some of the regular customers and it was clear they love him. She wasn't surprised anymore.

She remembered one thing and put her tea spoon down. She held a hand out and said, "I haven't properly introduced myself. My name's Nagayoshi."

"Jito." the young man shook her hand. His fingers wrapped around her hand firmly but delicately. It felt like he didn't want to smear her hand with his dirty one (which was far from dirty at that moment). "Your name's kinda unusual," he added, "It's not a bad thing, though. I wonder what it means."

"The 'Naga' is written in the Kanji for year of rooster—or bird, as my name-giver prefers it. The 'Yoshi' is written in the Kanji for cloth. But I never really like 'em, so I decided to write my name in Katakana instead."

Jito chuckled but then the joy in his face vanished. He grumbled, "Not again…"

Nagayoshi looked up in confusion. She did not need to wait for an explanation as it came by itself. She heard a man spoke, "Looky here…Pretty Boy is back! Ye have enough runnin' away from us?" The man speaking stopped in front of Jito. Nagayoshi pretended to ignore, but her ears were wide opened. The smell of alcohol seeping from his pores with sweat and the way he talks…Nagayoshi knew perfectly what kind of man he is.

"I wasn't running away. I went to Kirigakure to visit my parents and sisters." Jito answered sternly. His face contorted at the smell of four bottles of sake from the man's mouth.

"Oh! I betcha cryin' yer heart out on yer mommy's lap!" he chortled. The other two men who came with him chortled along with him.

Jito stayed silent and Nagayoshi noticed the other customers were silent too. She took a glance at some of the customers sitting nearby her. They were eyeing the smelly men with fear or looking at Jito either with hope or with pity.

"Ye said ye have sisters, eh? Now my men an' I'd love to meet them. How 'bout ye give us what ye owe us and we'll leave ye alone and yer sisters 'unharmed'?"

"I owe you nothing. Nobody owes you anything. It's just your greed on money and your pirate heritage speaking. Just because this village was founded by pirates, doesn't mean we all act like some smelly pirates." Jito replied.

The man's nose flared, his eyes dilated and his eyebrows furrowed. He grabbed Jito's collar, shaking him in anger as he bellowed, "Ye gonna pay for that! I'll make you pay right now!" He readied his knuckle to strike straight on Jito's stomach.

"Leave him alone." Nagayoshi spoke aloud. She stood from her seat and took a quick bite on the last piece of the baked apple. She walked towards the mugger. Her eyes shot daggers at him and his henchmen.

The mugger scoffed and released Jito's collar. He swaggered towards her with his hands in his pockets. He had a jeering smile on his face. "What's a girl like you want with me, eh? Ye shouldn't hang out with this loser, you should be having a one night stand with me! Ye may be tomboy, but, hey, I'm open-minded." His hands—sweaty and smelly—touched Nagayoshi's chin. She had to take a deep breath just to not faint at his foul odor.

"Get your hands off me." Nagayoshi grumbled. "I'm warning you."

"Ooh! The lil' girl's angry! I'm scared!" he cooed sarcastically. He jeered and his henchmen jeered with him. One of them even howled. "Yer coming with me, bitch." he said, grabbing Nagayoshi forcefully on her arm. His ignorance on her warning would soon cost him.

Nagayoshi grabbed his arm and slammed him to the ground. The mugger tumbled on the floor and knocked a table and some chairs. All people gasped at the change of situation. The mugger's henchmen gaped in surprise. Nagayoshi eyed coldly at the mugger, slowly rising from his fall.

"Get that blasted sea witch!" he roared.

Nagayoshi turned her body immediately. The henchmen were hesitant at first, but Nagayoshi, wanting for some action, provoked them. "C'mon. You're afraid of this…little girl?" To her amusement, they ate it. They came lunging towards her and all she did was giving a one-two punch at each of them. After that, they ran out of the tea shop, yelping.

The mugger boss trembled as he saw his backup left him alone with the 'sea witch'. "C-cowards!" he shouted at them. He squeaked when Nagayoshi walked towards him. But he didn't want to appear weak, so he scorned some more, "Whatcha gonna do? Blowjob me to death?"

Nagayoshi raised an eyebrow and one corner of her lips curled upwards. "Maybe, with 76 milliamp of electricity~" To prove her point, Nagayoshi even engulfed her hand with lightning chakra.

The mugger shrieked and ran away to the door as fast as possible. He stopped and turned around for a second. "I'm not finished with ye! I'll bring more men and I'll be doing you when I'm done taking what I want from this blasted shop!" He continued running and two seconds later, heavy rain washed the village—and probably that mugger's smell too.

The heavy rain, however, meant bad news for Nagayoshi. "Shit…" she murmured. "Now how am I supposed to go home?"

"I'm sorry to say, but I guess you have to wait longer. Anyway, thanks for the help. You're pretty powerful." Jito said.

"Who are those people, anyway?"

"Nah, some ordinary muggers with some connection who think they should charge big taxes on the villagers. I guess it happens since this village knows no tax. I heard it was made that way because pirates hate taxes. What else would they make their own city if they don't want to pay the tax?"

Nagayoshi nodded. She still wanted to go on the journey, but the weather made it impossible. Not entirely, but it won't be favorable. She had no choice but to wait until the rain stopped. In the mean time…

"Hey, Nagayoshi," Jito called, "do you think you can kick the muggers' butts while you're waiting for your chance to go home?"

* * *

**This chapter is supposed to be easy to write, but there were days where I was heavily distracted by Digimon World Championship (and still am). Sorry for the wait, guys~!**

**I swear to God, the name 'Salty Dog' and the pirate theme ISN'T caused by _Pirates of the Caribbean! _I haven't even watched the fourth movie due to some stupid change of importing law for foreign movies in Indonesia! And if you ask me, "What's up with the weird names lately?" My answer is: "Hell if I know…" Salty Dog was the first thing that came to my mind.**

**Trivia: This arc is one of my favorites. Writing it on drafts book was a lot of fun. It also has a lot of character development in it. :3**

**P.S: I created a new poll. If you're a reader of both _Bird Cloth _and this one, please answer it. Thank you.**


	12. Hitch a Ride

**Chapter 12: Hitch a Ride**

* * *

The fourth red X was stricken across the black dot on the map. Kakuzu sighed heavily as the fourth village gave him no news whatsoever about the whereabouts of his sister. His desperation escalated when he saw that the river still flows for about 40-50 kilometers. It was still so far away and they still have so many villages to sweep through.

The river's violent current slowed down as they went further. They decided to split up to search in both the water and the village. With Hokko going to the village nearby, Kakuzu was left to tread in the calm body of water, looking for Nagayoshi. But his attachment with logic burdened him.

If Nagayoshi was indeed on the riverside, then the chance was she was dead. They had been looking for three days, almost four. If she was still in the river for three days, then she might as well be found by scavenging animals. Images of her decayed body haunted him. Her skin pale, some chunks of it were gnawed off by rats, the hollow look of her eyes…. He shook the image away. He hoped that he would never find her in the water. He hoped Hokko find her, or at least get a clue about her status.

Hours passed and his search was fruitless. He sat near the river, Hokko's fire stallion kept his half-wet body warm. The sky had darkened and the rain clouds floated above, but not spraying their luggage to the earth yet. Kakuzu's main heart panged. It wasn't exactly like this, but the something about the cloud reminded him to one of the most significant events in his life when Nagayoshi entered the picture.

_Time flies so freakin' fast,_ he wondered, _it felt like it was yesterday she first stole my wallet. She was just one dirty, plebeian little thief. She didn't even know what milk was._

The nostalgia might cause him to smirk, but with her not around, it caused him to grimace. With his age, he had experienced many events, including losing his biological sister many decades ago when he was still a young man. He saw one of his ex-partners lost his brother and how that had made him mad and vengeful until he died in Kakuzu's hands. Now, he could almost feel his suffering. Only he had no one to cast his vengeance upon.

"Shit…" he whispered. The fire stallion turned his head towards him. "God damn it…" Ryouken must be laughing right now. He promised he would make Kakuzu suffer the way he did. He may have died, but seemed like he unleashed a curse.

Shortly afterwards, Hokko came back. Kakuzu turned to see him. Hokko tried to keep a straight face and remained optimistic, but Kakuzu could see bad news from every muscle on his face. He didn't find anything in the village either. Another day of fruitless search.

"It has nothin' to do with Nagayoshi, but it's pretty important. Last night's rain caused the ground around the river unstable. The current has gone faster too. The merchants told me to travel on the road." Hokko said, not hopping off from his horse's back. "We better get goin'!"

Speechlessly, Kakuzu rose and hopped on the stallion. He walked in front of the cowboy ninja, a position he insisted. Hokko was not confident to let him lead, but even in his topsy-turvy condition, Kakuzu's ego remained hard. The horses trotted on the wet and muddy road, courtesy of last night's rain. Hokko looked at the stallion and the mare's hooves. The heat caused by the flame around their legs baked the mud solid. And as they kept on walking, the mud collected around them until a couple of hours later…

With a kunai and a grunt, Hokko chipped the hardened mud. Kakuzu grumbled, "This is useless. Even if we chip everything off, they'll build up again! Don't they have some kind of special protective stockings or something?"

"Well, don't look at me! I can't summon stockin's!" Hokko retorted.

"Urgh…!" Kakuzu growled, "This wouldn't have happened if you just summon a normal horse."

"Wha—hey, partner, I know you're in a trouble, but that doesn't mean you can blame it to everybody else, especially my horses!"

"So who do you think I should blame now? Me?" Kakuzu snapped towards Hokko. His voice rose and a feral growl vibrated as he spoke. "I've blamed myself already! For every unfortunate moment that has befallen upon her, I have blamed myself for bringing her into them! I couldn't forgive myself for when Ryouken made that large scar on her body! It's not Ryouken's fault she was injured badly, it was mine!" Then his voice softened, but the burden was still present. "I caused his brother's death and he only delivered his vengeance on my one and only relative. He was just a catalyst to the disaster."

Hokko sighed and shook his head slowly. He pinched the curve of his nose. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"No." Kakuzu cut him. "It was not your fault. It was mine. I got too carried away. Sorry."

Silence built a wall between them afterwards. They began chipping the hardened mud again, but the sound of creaking wheels distracted them. They had to move away for someone else was about to use the road. But before they could stand up from their squatting position, the wheels had stopped.

"Problem, gentlemen?" a bearded, tall and chunky man asked.

"You can say so. It's what you get when you have two walking ovens and mud surrounding you." Hokko answered.

The man eyed the mare with awe. He whistled, "Pretty thing." He reached out his hand to touch the mare's mane but the mare snapped at him and opened her mouth, a small ball of flame building up in the back of her mouth.

The chunky man jerked back and Hokko put his hand in front of her mouth, whispering 'ssh' to her. The mare closed her mouth before her ball of fire could hurt the hand that took care of her. Hokko turned to the chunky man with a reluctant laugh. "Sorry…she doesn't want to be touched by people she doesn't trust. That's why her beau goes with my partner there." he said.

"You guys going somewhere?" asked the man again.

"We're lookin' for someone." answered Hokko. He noticed Kakuzu looking at him and added, "We're searchin' for her new house. She told us it's near the river that flows around here. We've been travellin' to many villages with such specification. No luck so far."

Kakuzu nodded.

"Well, I'm actually delivering goods to the villages around here. What do you say about hitching a ride? I don't mind changing my route a little." the man offered. "And the sky looks like it's going to rain every day. Not a good sign for your flaming horses."

Hokko beamed. "Thank you so much! Hey, Kakuzu-san, whaddaya say?"

Kakuzu stood and walked towards them. "I appreciate it."

"Great!" the chunky man barked. "Then come on! You don't wanna get any more delayed, right?" He invited the two Akatsuki to his cart. The back was covered with thick cloth, protecting the goods he mentioned dry from rain. He let Kakuzu and Hokko sit beside him on the front of the cart.

Despite being offered a help, Kakuzu's hunch kept giving him feeds of prospective bad news. However, he decided to keep focusing on his journey and not everything else.

* * *

**A ridiculously short and angst-ridden chapter. I feel guilty for making Kakuzu weak like this. But face the facts: if you lost your one and only family you have, even if they're not blood-related, wouldn't you go this far? Wouldn't you be depressed and frustrated when you can't find them anywhere? Basic psychology and Kakuzu is not that insane to be able to forget and let go that easily. The failure of the canon series is exposing his human side.**

**And since I'm back studying my English Literature major, don't expect any update anytime soon. The third semester has been relentless. I'm lucky to have a couple of days of holiday to finish this.**


	13. Freedom of Choosing

**Chapter 13: Freedom of Choosing**

* * *

It had been raining for five days. Not all the time, there were couple-of-hour pauses between each cycle of rain. The pauses did not give enough time for the puddles to evaporate and dry up, though. So as another rain pours, the puddles only got bigger and bigger.

A street dog dashed across a large puddle. Water splashed around it and some into its padded paws. It ran in search for shelter. It had learned not to take shelter near the butchery. The man whose face was full of scars was not fond of dogs. He thought every dog that came near to his shop was targeting on the meat he was selling. When he saw a dog, big or small, he would raise his hellish knife and howled like a rabid primitive hunter. The street dog saw its brother being chased by the butcher and he had to flee to the end of the village. Luckily, he was safe and adopted by a young sailor. If only this dog was as lucky.

It found a shelter, at last, under a menu board. Its tongue lolled as it lied down to rest. Its pointy ears flicked to sounds coming from inside the building behind it. Someone seemed to be screaming. It tried to ignore the sounds and resumed sleeping.

"AAAAARGH!" a man shouted. A splash followed afterwards as the man fell into the puddle just outside the building. The street dog jolted upright, surprised of the commotion. While the man fallen was still groaning and lying in the puddle, three others ran out of the building. One was behind them and he stopped to turn back to the building again.

"I'll be back! I promise!" he shouted. A second later, he squeaked in fear and ran away, dragging the one in the puddle by the collar. As their figure went farther away from the building, another set of commotion came from inside. However, it was filled with different emotion.

People were cheering at her; some congratulated her and shook her hand or patted her back. It had only been two days since she had been unofficially working in Herasagi's tea shop, but Nagayoshi became quite popular after her first encounter with the village's tax mugger whose name she learned to be Yabuo. This was the third time she had kicked him and his underlings (new and different ones in every attempt) out of the shop.

Nagayoshi retreated to her temporary room after replying to so many thanks from the customers. She slid the door close and sat down, leaning against the wall. She rummaged her torn backpack and took out her old Kumogakure headband. It was the only thing she had right now that reminded her of her brother. And not only her brother, but the many events that occurred before too.

Few minutes later, the door to her room was opened. Jito entered and sat beside her. A warm cup of apple tea filled the room with a better fragrance compared to the wet wood caused by the almost-nonstop rain. Since knowing Nagayoshi's adoration for apples, Jito always gave her something apple-related as a reward for her success in kicking the thugs out of his grandmother's tea shop. It was the least he could do for her and Nagayoshi didn't seem to demand more.

"Nice job again today." he said. "And I'm sorry you still can't go home because of the rain. I don't know why, but it's been raining strangely a lot lately."

"Well, at least it still has pauses between each rain. In Amegakure, the rain never stops. That's why the village developed a huge reservoir and more sophisticated drainage system." Nagayoshi replied.

"You've been to Amegakure? I thought that village was impenetrable."

"Yes, but for a ninja with intentions. I came there as an immigrant. I practically live there now." Nagayoshi said.

"If you live in Amegakure, then surely this rain can't stop you. And don't worry about the thugs. I can handle them, even though I may not be as strong as you."

Nagayoshi giggled but she shook her head. "I realize that, but I don't think it's the rain that has been stopping me. I don't think it's the thugs too."

"Is it Obaachan?" Jito asked.

Nagayoshi whipped her head, staring at the young man with eyes wide. "Herasagi-san? N-no, it's not her! It can't be…or can it? Come to think of it, she always seems…sad…when I say something about leaving. I don't want to point my finger on her, though. I'm not even sure." Nagayoshi answered.

"We're not blaming anybody. You are free to choose your choice, but for some reason you keep choosing to stay. Now I don't know why and I won't know until you know." said Jito.

"You talk like an old man." Nagayoshi remarked.

Jito chuckled and pet Nagayoshi on the head. "Five years is enough time to show the different level of wisdom within two people, kiddo."

Nagayoshi stared at the young man with wonderment. She wondered about the true reason why she chose to prolong her stay. The answer could not be given, but it must be earned. This invisible force that penetrated her heart…this feeling…she had to know what it was and she thought she knew how to get the answer. She opened her mouth, "Jito-kun…"

"Well there you kids are!" Herasagi's head suddenly popped into the room. Her uncalled appearance caused Jito to shout and snatch Nagayoshi's head with his arms in search for protection. Herasagi sighed in exasperation.

"O-Obaachan!" Jito said. His voice was shaky from his 'jumpy state'. "Darn it, Obaachan! You surprised me—no—you petrified me!" he snapped. He soon realized his arms were wrapping tightly around Nagayoshi's head and released her immediately. The girl's face was all red.

"It isn't my fault you're so jumpy! By the way, the counter's empty and I was wondering where you are. Now get back to work. Nagayoshi-chan, how about you?"

Nagayoshi stood at the same time as Jito and then she bowed before the old woman. Her action caused confusion to both Jito and Herasagi. "About that, Herasagi-san," Nagayoshi began, "hire me too."

Herasagi almost gasped. Her tongue was restrained to the bottom of her jaw. Meanwhile, Nagayoshi continued to elaborate her reason. "If I'm going to stay here for a longer period of time, it would be better that I do something more productive than being a watchdog. I don't really know how you make tea in this place, but I can learn and I learn fast. So please…"

Hearing all that, Jito smiled and turned to his grandmother. "I'll teach her our recipe, Obaachan. But since you're the manager, I'll need your word of approval."

Although Herasagi heard Jito, she put his words into her consideration. She had questions of her own. "Are you sure?" she asked. "But how about your brother?"

"I might sound like I don't care about him, but I know my brother's looking for me. He's determined; I know he's looking for me right now. I want to return, but not when my heart is uneasy like this. There's something…I have to do here." Nagayoshi answered. "So please let me work with you for the time being."

Herasagi looked to Nagayoshi, then Jito, who shrugged, and then back to the girl again. Her drastic change of mind confused her but she followed what she thought would be best for all of them. "Raise your head, child." she said to the girl. Nagayoshi did as she was told and shortly afterwards found herself in the embrace of a pair of delicate arms. "Welcome to Spoonbill Tea Shop." she muttered.

**|-oOo-|**

For the first few days, Nagayoshi spent her time in the shop either presuming her job as watchman or learning tea-making from Jito. She also dug some gossip and information from travelers that came to the tea shop, seeking any clue about her brother's whereabouts. Kakuzu's clothing stand out in the crowd, so people who were not used to seeing such clothes would talk about it. Unfortunately, she didn't hear anything relating to Kakuzu or Hokko. Not even the other Akatsuki members. One and a half two weeks later, Nagayoshi didn't only watch over the peace in the shop, but also took orders from customers. At first, she felt awkward. She spent most of her lifetime hiding from the public unless she and her superiors had to ask for some information. She wasn't anti-social, but being a waitress required her to be more social than she already was.

Jito watched her from the back of the counter as Nagayoshi went from table to table taking orders. He smiled. _I make a pretty good teacher, after all. If only the accident never happened, I'd be teaching in the academy…_ he mused.

His smile disappeared when someone cleared his throat. Jito turned his head to a man of the same age as he sitting in front of the counter, on his left. When his eyes met his, the man grinned and waved at him. Jito chuckled and smiled. He leaned towards him. "What can I do for you, Mister?" he asked teasingly. The man before him laughed.

"C'mon, Jito! Cut the crap, I'm regular here!" said the man, laughing.

Jito laughed and he ruffled the man's head. "Even so, you haven't visited for more than a month. Where have you been, Hajime?"

"Wherever the waves take me. It's my first time sailing with my own ship, as a captain, even! I oughta go anywhere I want." the man named Hajime answered as Jito turned to brew his friend's usual, never-changing selection. While waiting, Hajime took a look around and spotted a new addition to the shop he had been visiting for years. "Hey, Jito," he called.

"What is it?"

"That girl…she's new?"

"Yeah, quite so. She's been working for nearly two weeks now. She lives here for the moment." answered Jito.

Hajime nodded and took another look at Nagayoshi. "She's not bad if you ask me. So she lives here, huh? Well, my friend, you are one lucky guy."

Jito looked at close friend with one eyebrow raised. Hajime returned his questioning look with a smirk and eyes half-lidded in a teasing fashion. When Jito emphasized his 'please elaborate' look, his friend winked at him. That was when everything clicked to him. He threw his face away. His silence caused Hajime to laugh.

"Shut up!" Jito barked at his close friend to no avail. But while his friend's eyes were shut tight by his laughing fit, Jito stole a glance to the new employee. Their eyes met for a flash of a second before each of them looked at something else. With much bitterness, Jito said, "If I give you an extra cup of your favorite, will you shut up?"

Hajime took a deep breath to stop from laughing. He wiped the joyful tear from the corner of his eye. He grinned at Jito.

**|-oOo-|**

The rain was still pouring, even after the tea shop was closed. Nagayoshi was in charge of locking the front door while Jito celebrated the reunion with his loud-mouthed old friend. Nagayoshi didn't know what to do. For a moment, she thought she would talk to Herasagi, but she didn't know what to talk about. She spent the next forty minutes in her room, sitting and doing nothing.

Lightning struck from afar, followed shortly after by the thunder. The lightning and the thunder were like a hit to the back of her head. Nagayoshi suddenly knew what she was supposed to do. Quickly, she jumped up to her feet and headed outside. She looked to her left and right, finding signs of anyone around. When she felt no one was around, she dashed to the top of the roof and jumped her way to the woods. She tried not to go too far from the village, but far enough. She stopped right in the middle of the commuters' road. In this rainy night, no merchants or visitors were coming. It was a grand opportunity for her.

She spotted a gigantic tree near the road. She smiled and approached the tree, examining and guessing its height. She mustered her chakra to her hands from which a lightning hummingbird was formed. The bird flew up to the top of the tree, circling its trunk on its way up. It left a trail of jagged electric-charged blue light from its tail, making the tree seemed to be decorated. The bird flew higher until it surpassed the height of every tree surrounding it. And waited for a miracle...

It felt like Deidara was detonating a bomb right next to her. Nagayoshi was tossed to her back by sheer force that came along with a blinding light show. Half of her remaining energy was sucked out of her body. She groaned as she pushed herself up, now exhausted but satisfied. She rose to her feet, staggering in the process. She was more exhausted than she had anticipated. It felt like fighting in a war for days nonstop.

She studied the result of her doing. She felt bad for destroying the tree by calling the source of her element. However, she had to do it. Satisfied with the damage, she smirked. That won't be the last, though, it was just the first. Nagayoshi turned around, heading back to the village but, instead, she found her way to the ground. Her head was riding a carousel capable of generating speed of Mach 3. She decided to linger for a moment.

After taking a short breather, she made her way back in a pace slower than before.

**|-oOo-|**

Being a jumpy person he was, Jito had a bad relationship with thunders. He didn't mind the lightning, but the roar of the thunder always surprised him successfully. Not only that, any sudden outburst of sound surprised him, more if it was loud. He had no idea where this weakness of him came from. More than enough had it caused embarrassment to him and he just wanted to stomp his foot and shouted, "Enough!" If only it was that simple…

Nevertheless, as the hour hand of the clock had gone straight north and the minute hand closing in, Jito walked home. The hood of his waterproof jacket guarded his head and his upper body as he jogged his way back home. When he arrived, he took off his shoes and leaned them against the wall, leaving them to dry overnight. Just as he slipped off his jacket, the door behind him creaked open. He turned sharply but relaxed immediately thereafter. His eyes were still sharp, though.

A smile greeted him weakly. "Hey, there…Jito-kun…" said Nagayoshi, thorough exhaustion puffed from the breath she blew.

"Nagayoshi!" Jito exclaimed and rushed towards her. "What happened to you? And why are you all wet and slightly dirty?" he asked her with such urgency, even grabbing both of her shoulders. The girl just laughed it off.

"Jito-kun, don't be such a worrywart. I'm just—" She lost her balance and her eyes rolled up as her body gave in to gravity. Jito caught her body and dropped to his knees. He sighed in relief. Who knows what could happen if he hadn't caught her.

"Don't be a worrywart my ass…" he whispered, watching Nagayoshi's wet hair transferring drops of water onto his clothes. A wry smile stretched across his face and he carried the girl in his arms. He carried her to her room, wrapping her wet body with a big dry towel before covering her under a blanket. Later, he brought his own futon and blanket.

* * *

**Thank God, I have time to finish this! Frankly, I am unhappy with my current semester. For some reason, I mostly get boring lecturers for most of my subjects. And the homework…oh, GOD, the homework! This fic is one of my resorts when I'm stressed and internet is not interesting anymore.**

**Personal matters aside, I feel like the writing here is too bland. Nevertheless, I like Jito's character. He and Nagayoshi will make a good combo. His accident, if you're curious, will be explained later.**

**PS: notice that I've stopped giving the 'Next' section thingy… I feel it's useless.**


	14. You Return

**Chapter 14: You Return**

* * *

It started almost like a déjà vu. A strike of sunlight pierced through the bamboo curtain of the window and shone right at her eyelids. Nagayoshi began to stir and when her eyes were opened, she quickly noticed the large towel and the blanket covering her body. She remembered going out in the middle of the rainy night, but she couldn't remember what happened to her after she got back. Her body and clothes had dried up but the futon on which she slept on was a little damp. She had to dry it up outside while the sun was shining.

She sat up. Several stings attacked various parts of her body. Her brief act last night not only exhausted her but caused stress to her muscles as well. Now she could use a warm bath.

She noticed a low humming sound coming from beside her. She looked to the side and was surprised to see Jito sleeping on his own futon. That low humming sound was him snoring. Nagayoshi's blood vessels exploded, evident from the vivid color change on her face. Her eyes snapped wide open and she shrieked. Her loud voice, in turn, woke Jito up. He rolled around from his freefall sleeping position and rubbed his eyes lethargically.

"Why do you have to be so loud in the morning?" Jito asked, voice trailing.

"You are in no position to ask me anything! What are you doing in my room? And why the hell do you sleep beside me?" Nagayoshi asked snappishly. If she were a cat, her fur would have stood upright as she backed away from the young man five years older than her.

Jito yawned and answered, "You passed out last night, remember? And, actually, you're wrong, I am in a position to ask you anything." He sat up, the blanket slid down from his apparently naked chest. Now the blood vessel explosion continued to Nagayoshi's neck. Jito noticed her expression and he didn't need her to tell him why. A little shyly, he started to wrap the blanket around himself. Then he continued, "Where did you go last night?"

The redness on Nagayoshi's face subdued slightly. Her body shrunk and her eyes were looking elsewhere, avoiding Jito's direct gaze. She remained silent for a long time, either because she couldn't formulate the answer to his question or she was just being hard-headed and refused to answer him. However, Jito was not that easy to give up. He crawled closer to Nagayoshi, causing the girl to get panicky again.

"Well?" he interrogated. His eyes stared at her sharply, sturdily. Nagayoshi still wanted to keep silent. Yet, Jito added another set of words to coax her. "I know we haven't known each other for long, but I assure you, you can trust me. I don't like to gossip, so your secret is safe with me." he said. Something about him reminded Nagayoshi of Herasagi. Moreover, Nagayoshi felt like she couldn't hide anything from him.

At last, her eyes stared his. Gulping her nervousness, Nagayoshi spoke...

**|-oOo-|**

"I'd suggest you to start using it sparingly from now on." said Jito. "I know it brings your goal closer, but it may also be dangerous for you. You were lucky you haven't used it last night, but what if you were in a fight? It could drain your chakra into zero."

"Actually, last night's attempt was more successful than I expected. Last time I used it, I passed out immediately afterwards. But last night, I passed out only after I arrived back. That's an improvement, isn't it?" said Nagayoshi with visible excitement and pride. Jito, however, did not return the positive sentiments. He frowned.

"It's risky and you know it." he said.

"But Jito-kun," Nagayoshi continued to reason, "I have to keep doing it! At least for another few times. It's the only way to do it without needing to leave this place."

Jito grimaced and grumbled. "Oh, fine. Do as you see fit." His body trembled violently in shock when Nagayoshi cheered aloud and hugged him. Now it was his turn to blush. "O-only if I were there to watch over. Who's gonna bring you home if it weren't me?" he added, pushing Nagayoshi to loosen her hug slightly.

Nagayoshi drew back, her hands were still on Jito's shoulders. She smiled at him and said, "Thanks, Jito-kun."

Jito smiled back. He pushed his upper body forward, one hand on Nagayoshi's waist. They drew their faces closer towards each other, so close to the point where they could feel each other's breath right on their face. They began to close their eyes…

"Jito?" called Herasagi from afar.

The two youngsters gasped and pulled away. They haven't even touched before Herasagi's call came. Both of them stood and reluctantly removed any physical contact. Jito walked towards his futon and bent over to reach his glasses and shirt. He wore them silently and he heard Nagayoshi walked to the door and slid it open before going away. He thought maybe she went to the bathroom or the kitchen. Maybe she thought she had to tend to the store, only to find out that it was closed since it was Sunday. Shortly, Herasagi came.

"There you are, Jito. I've been looking everywhere for you," she said to her grandson in relief. But the relief waned as soon as when it came. "Why is your futon in Nagayoshi's room?" she asked.

Jito heated up and stammered, "Uh, um…it's not as what you think. But, Obaasan, I—" Jito stopped upon seeing Herasagi's expression. An expression he never thought his grandmother would use on him. It was the expression she gave her youngest son—Jito's uncle, his father's little brother—who got too intimate with drugs when she found out about it. Jito sighed. "She passed out last night and I thought I should be keeping an eye on her, just in case."

"What happened to her?"

Jito told everything he knew, saw, and heard. He didn't tell a single lie. He had stopped lying to Herasagi ever since the rebellious spirit of puberty died out in him. He could see an ever-growing concern on her face. After he finished storytelling, Herasagi advised her grandson.

"I know this may sound strict and you know I hate being strict, but for now, please don't let your feelings take you over. You can still be close, but not to the level I don't want you to go. It may be hard, but it's for the best of both of you," she said. There was no hiding it; Herasagi felt as bad as Jito, but she had to do it. Jito knew he shouldn't argue, so he nodded in understanding. "Now, I will go to the supermarket to buy the supplies for tomorrow. Clean the house while I'm gone."

"Yes, Obaasan," Jito said, smiling to his grandmother. It was an antiseptic alcohol to the wound that cut him inside. It healed him, but caused sizzling pain in the process. Only time could close the wound.

Herasagi left. Jito did what he was told and to start off with, he folded his futon and returned them to his room. He also folded Nagayoshi's futon and stored it. He swept the floor of the entire house and mopped it afterwards. He tended Herasagi's room the last since it would take the longest time. Even though he never dusted the shelves and the window pane of the other rooms, he did it for Herasagi's room. Usually, the old lady would do it alone, but she was out to the village, leaving Jito to the job.

He was wiping the top of the drawer with a wet cloth when Nagayoshi went inside the room. He could see her shadow looming over behind him. She seemed to bring something and he could hear crunches. She was eating an apple—as usual. Jito tried not to pay attention to her and tried to dust off the image of earlier that morning. He picked up a photograph of the whole big family and wiped the thin dust behind.

"You've been cleaning all morning and you haven't eaten your breakfast, so I bring it here," said Nagayoshi.

"Thanks. I'll eat it later," replied Jito.

"Shouldn't you eat your breakfast before cleaning the whole house? Where did you get all your energy if you didn't take breakfast first?"

Jito chuckled and answered, "I'm the type of person who eats his breakfast after cleaning. I'll drain some of my energy before filling it again with food. Food tastes better when you're tired. Maybe it's because you're hungrier as well."

"You're such a smartass," Nagayoshi chuckled.

The two then fell in silence. It was short-lived, though, since Nagayoshi's curiosity brought her closer to the drawer Jito was cleaning. She was interested in the framed photographs lining on top of it. This was her first time inside Herasagi's room. She didn't know what was inside the room until now.

Judging from the number of photographs, Nagayoshi came to think that Herasagi loved and cherished her family very much. None of the photographs had a single-person portrait. It was always a group or couple photo. Nagayoshi then for the first time saw the face of Herasagi's late husband. He nearly reminded her of Hokko, but with more wrinkles. Yet, they seem to have the same amount of spirit to keep working. Too bad that Herasagi's husband died from cancer a few years earlier, so she was told by Jito. Then she saw a photograph of Jito's family. Nagayoshi knew Jito had two younger sisters, but she didn't know they would be so gorgeous. She guessed it had to be from their mother's exotic beauty.

Jito smiled at Nagayoshi's fascination over his family photos. He decided to leave Nagayoshi with the pictures as he moved from the drawer to clean the window sill. By that time, Nagayoshi had scanned all over the family photos. However, she noticed she had missed one frame of picture. It was on the very back of the drawer and perhaps one of the loneliest pictures among the others. The quality of the picture was slightly faded and not as sharp as the ones containing the whole big family. Nagayoshi assumed it was over a decade old.

Her eyes widened in more fascination when she saw what the picture had captured. There were actually two people in the picture, but the other one was so small that it seemed like there was only one. The second person was in the arms of the first one, who was an adult man. Despite the fading colors, the emotions stored in the picture were vivid. The smile of the man as he held a sleeping infant in his arms roused Nagayoshi's empathies. It also brought her to smile along. She didn't know who the man in the picture was, but she was inclined to know. She brought the picture to Jito.

"Jito-kun, do you know who this is?" Nagayoshi asked, showing the picture in her hands to the young man.

"Oh, that's my uncle, Rishin-san. That baby girl in his arms is his newborn baby," answered Jito. "But that was a long time ago. She'd be about…" Jito put his hand on his chin, calculating, "your age, actually. I was still a little boy the last time I met him."

Nagayoshi blinked and she raised an eyebrow. "Wow, then that would have been a very long time, indeed. What happened to him, if I may ask?"

"I don't know," Jito shrugged, "What I know is that one day he and his daughter disappeared and never returned. My uncles, Obaasan, Ojiisan and my older cousins wouldn't tell me and some of my younger cousins. Maybe they didn't know too. It's a mystery," Jito lingered in silence, temporarily abandoning his chore as he stared at the old picture. Then he added, "Even the mother of that child is a mystery to me. The best person to ask about this is Obaasan, but I don't know if she's going to say anything."

"Nah, I think I'll forget it. I don't like putting my nose into someone else's past unless they let me."

"I'd let you, but unfortunately, I don't know much about Rishin-san. Sorry."

"No need to."

**|-oOo-|**

As Jito had promised earlier in the morning, he accompanied Nagayoshi to the middle of the woods in spite of the rain and the rolling thunders. He insisted to wear raincoats in order to prevent damp futon and sickness. It surprised him how far Nagayoshi went yesterday. Tonight, though, she didn't go as far as she did the day before.

Little did Nagayoshi knew, Herasagi was following not far behind them. Jito told his grandmother he would accompany the girl to the woods and watch over her in case she passed out. Herasagi, suspicious, decided to tag along in secret, her presence known only to Jito. She wanted to see what Nagayoshi was actually doing and how she did it. There was something about her that Herasagi could not explain. She wanted to see if this little stunt could answer the feeling she had been having.

Nagayoshi stopped in the middle of the road and scanned the trees around. The one destroyed the night before was a few hundred meters ahead, but she decided not to zap a different tree in the same perimeter. Jito curiously watched the girl as she walked hither and thither in search for the right tree. A roll of thunder triggered Jito's jumpiness. He wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Nagayoshi spotted the tree tall enough for her standards. She approached it with Jito following her from behind. At some point, Nagayoshi held out her hand at him. "Don't come any closer. You can get killed." she said.

"And you won't?" Jito asked back.

"Trust me, Jito, unless you also use lightning-based jutsu."

Defeated, Jito stood back and watched as an unusually large hummingbird took form above her hand. The hummingbird flew skywards, circling the tree and leaving a blue trail from its tail. As the bird soared, Nagayoshi stepped back. She had learned from yesterday's experience that the shockwave was enough to knock her back.

Hiding in the bushes, Herasagi beheld with astonishment. That feeling…yes, she thought, she had found the answer she longed. She didn't move from her position, even after the blinding sight of the lightning striking down and the aftermath, in which Nagayoshi fell to her knees in exhaustion. Jito helped her stand and made their way back. Herasagi heard him call the girl 'reckless'. She waited for them to leave before following back silently.

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi rose from under the covers, yawning wide. For last two nights, she had been zapping trees to oblivion and draining her energy completely in the end. She was glad though that she found no chest-naked Jito a few centimeters beside her anymore. The first it happened it was very embarrassing for her. Even the thought of it embarrassed her.

She went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. As usual, she started her day with an apple and a glass of milk coffee. She walked towards the shop and her chewing stopped as her feet did the same. She looked left and right. Everything was the same, the same as yesterday. There were no customers and she swore the sun was high enough. Closing day was yesterday, but why was it still closed?

She rushed back to the main house and she ran into Jito. She grinned widely. "Man, I thought I was dreaming! Why isn't the shop opened yet?" she asked.

Jito said nothing and his dark grey eyes stared back at her with solemnity. Nagayoshi's grin dropped and she grew suspicious and curious. "Nagayoshi, Obaasan wants to see you in her room," he said.

Nagayoshi could feel her heart thumped harder than usual. The way Jito looked at her…she didn't like it. He made it seem as if Nagayoshi would not live for another year. Or worse…did Herasagi finally decided to turn her in? But she said she won't, Nagayoshi reasoned with herself. Herasagi-san said she won't turn me in. Was that just a lie?

Before she knew it, Jito had opened the door to Herasagi's room and stood aside to let her in first. Reluctantly, she stepped inside. Inside, she saw Herasagi facing the drawer Jito cleaned yesterday. She seemed to be looking at the pictures. Her back hunched further than it already had. The door was closed and Jito stood behind her, his eyes looking at the tatami.

Nagayoshi gulped and encouraged herself to talk. "He-Herasagi-san? What's the matter?"

There was silence for a long time and it only escalated Nagayoshi's doubts and fears. Then a voice croaked, "It doesn't feel appropriate to call me that anymore."

The hair behind her neck rose. "So you know about my act in the middle of the night?"

"I do, but it's not what matters now." Herasagi answered. Her back was still facing Nagayoshi.

"Then what?"

This time, she turned around at last. The sight of her face rendered Nagayoshi speechless. She stared at the old woman as she made slow steps towards her. Her ears heard Herasagi saying, "I almost searched the whole world. I put a burden to nearly all of my children and my husband. I've been looking day in and day out for two people that are dear to my heart. I came to a conclusion that both of them might be dead and so I stopped looking. But it turns out that only one was dead. The other one was escorted by fate to return to me and answer my prayers. Nagayoshi…you return to me; to us."

Shakily, her wrinkled arms wrapped around Nagayoshi's head and shoulders. Her voice, influenced by her tearful eyes, shook. And the old lady hugged her tightly.

"You have returned, my granddaughter."

* * *

**Finally I can get the chance to finish this thing! 48 days I counted and that's just awful! I happily blame the many works to do from college. The third semester reeks. Too many long-term projects! And they have to come amidst my favorite and long-awaited arc! ARGH!**

**So…Christmas is nigh.**


	15. Kazoku Yo!

**Chapter 15: Kazoku Yo!**

* * *

Should she be holding something in her hands at that time, she would have dropped it as the shock subdued her reflexes. The forthright declaration from Herasagi dumbfounded Nagayoshi. It was uncalled for. Nagayoshi—a thief, who had killed numerous people in her young age, and even was raised by an S-ranked criminal, and an orphan—now had a family. She discovered one of her parents, her father whose name was Rishin—once a Kirigakure shinobi.

And now her grandmother was shakily holding her in a tight embrace. An embrace of gladness of knowing that her beloved granddaughter had returned to her. Her tears drifted torrentially, soaking the girl's clothes—the clothes she unknowingly inherited. Looking down at the sobbing old lady, Nagayoshi put both of her hands on her shoulders.

"Stop this! This doesn't make any sense!" she yelled all of a sudden. Her hands pushed Herasagi away from her. Both Herasagi and Jito were surprised by her reaction and moreover, by her tense expression. "How I got here is because I was in a fight and fell into the river. The river brought me here by nature's law! Now I don't see how that I suddenly become your lost granddaughter! You have no proof! How the hell do you know I'm your granddaughter? Just because my face happens to be similar with your son's?"

Herasagi and Nagayoshi exchanged stares for a few seconds before the younger dashed off, her mind flustered. Jito tried to block the exit by trying to reason with Nagayoshi but the girl violently pushed him aside. It was the first time Jito felt her strength firsthand. He saw her rushed into her room and closed the door with the same strength she used when she pushed him. The door barely survived the impact; a couple of wood chips fell to the floor.

In her room, Nagayoshi panted. Her emotion rush tired her. She held her head with both hands and fell to her knees. Then she doubled over, her forehead touching the tatami. First was the sharp inhales, second was the groaning, and her crying came last. There was really no reason to be crying, but she just felt like doing it. She was surprised, upset, and confused all at once. She didn't know what to do or what to think. All there was in her mind a word. A name. A calling.

_Oniisan! Help me, Oniisan!_

**|-oOo-|**

Jito grimaced. The howl coming from Nagayoshi's room chafed his ears. He hated to hear it. It was as painful as crying itself. His toes fidgeted, and when he decided to move, Herasagi stopped him. Jito turned to his grandmother. "Obaasan…"

"Leave her be, Jito. She needs time to accept all of this. And she wants proof, so we had better give it to her. I shall conduct a DNA test using her blood I got from treating her wounds and Rishin's milk tooth," said Herasagi, already returned to her calm self.

"Milk tooth?" Jito queried with disgust smothering his entire face, "You keep that kind of junk?"

"It's a souvenir of time! I keep your father's and yours too," Herasagi replied snappily. "Jito, I don't want you to sneak into her room and try to fix things by yourself while I'm gone. Let her collect her mind and accept this fact by herself."

"Yes, Obaasan," Jito obediently nodded. "Well, we're late. I should open the shop now."

The grandmother and the grandson went to separate ways. Nagayoshi's cries had reduced into light sobs and snorts. Jito was still urged to open the door and comfort the girl, but he pulled the idea back. As painful as it was, his grandmother was right. Before he or Herasagi can add anything, Nagayoshi must first calm down and cleared her mind.

Jito was surprised to see about a dozen of people—most are elderly people—waiting in a line outside the shop, waiting for it to open. The first in line was an old friend of Herasagi. He and his wife had been regular customers ever since the store was first opened 40 years ago.

"Oh boy! Finally you're open! I had frightful thoughts about you and your grandmother and that new girl—what's her name again?" asked the old man.

"Nagayoshi."

"Right! I thought you all have been murdered, or raided, or evicted, or kidnapped by that thug whose name I can't remember! I was about to call for help to Kirigakure if within the next 30 minutes you don't open the shop!"

The wife of the old man rolled her eyes. "Oh, Ryo-chan, as silly as ever!" she huffed. Jito laughed at her remark. "Stop exaggerating things, will you?" She turned to Jito, "I kept telling him there's nothing to worry, but he just wouldn't listen! I pray you don't become like my husband, Jito-chan."

Jito chuckled and stepped aside to let the customers in. "Have a seat and enjoy yourself. I'll make you the usual."

Just as Jito started to leave, the wife asked, "Oh, where's the new kid? Where's Nagayoshi-chan?"

Jito froze; he was merely a meter from the old couple's table. He turned facing the old woman with a smile. "Oh, she's not feeling really well. All this daily rain shower has started to beat her up," he replied. He was unsure whether he should tell them truth that Nagayoshi turned out to be his long lost cousin. However, he had already lied. And so he let time decide. He walked away from the table ignoring the wife's last comment.

**|-oOo-|**

Having had enough of crying, Nagayoshi sat up. She rubbed her eyes and stood. The room felt humid and hot, she could use a little fresh air. However, she refused to stay in the house. So without much thinking, she dashed off to the woods. She didn't set her destination; she just wanted to be as far away as possible from the house and small town. She wanted to be alone; she had to so she could get things through.

She slipped on a mossy branch. She gasped and was too late when she realized her body was in midair. She tried to grab the nearest object, in this case a small branch. It broke, unable to suspend her weight. And she continued to drop.

She fell with a thud on her back. She groaned and tried to get herself up. "Ow…" she whimpered, "that was some nasty fall… Glad I'm still alive."

Rubbing her aching head, she realized she was in a territory unfamiliar to her. She stood up and walked around, making heads and tails of where she was. She stumbled upon a river. It spanned over a few meters, wide enough for beavers to make four dams across it.

Nagayoshi blinked. She remembered: didn't Herasagi told her that she found her on the beaver dam? Could one out of four of them was the one that saved her? And on that day, Herasagi was nearby coincidentally.

_It was just a coincidence…_ she thought. _But what if it is fate? What makes fate and coincidence different? How about when Kakuzu-niisan and I met? What led us there?_ Frustrated, she grabbed a large rock (as big as her hand) and threw it at the river. She knelt and punched the earth. "I don't know, dammit!" she shouted. A young beaver that passed beside her was shocked and took a frantic leap into the river. She put her face in her own hands. She muttered, "Where's Oniisan, anyway?"

To her dismay, she began to feel doubtful. It had been more than three weeks she stayed there and the man she was waiting for never came. As much as she didn't want to think of it, but the thought came haunting her. "I'm abandoned…" she muttered to her reflection on the flowing river.

"True family won't abandon their kin," said a male's voice. Nagayoshi turned around, startled. She didn't expect Jito to follow her there. The twenty-year-old smiled warmly at her. "Regardless of what you have done, in the end, you're still our family. It's only natural if we try to support each other."

"Jito-kun…"

"Oh, Obaasan told me to leave you alone, but I just can't. I'm not here to decide your next step, though. But maybe, if you let me, I can help you ease your mind," Jito said, walking closer towards the girl.

Nagayoshi turned her face back to the river, staring at her reflection. Jito's reflection appeared beside hers moments later. "I don't know what's on my mind anymore," Nagayoshi said.

Silence befell upon them. Jito stared at his cousin sympathetically. He thought for a moment and then spoke, "Before you decided to work in the shop, you told me that you want to know about some strange uneasiness you feel. Now, do you still feel uneasy?"

Nagayoshi blinked. Her stature shrunk. "I'm not sure. There are other feelings that overpowered it, I guess."

"Are you sad? Angry?"

"Angry, huh? Yeah, I do feel like punching something but I don't think it'll be satisfied by simply punching something or someone. This isn't the vengeful angry or annoyed angry…I don't know…"

"If you don't feel like angry, you can't really say that you're angry. C'mon, I'm an open-minded guy, you can tell me everything," Jito said.

"I think…it feels like I don't know what to do anymore. I know I should be happy to have finally found my biological family. I really don't understand why I cried…I guess I was just…flustered? Or maybe because I miss my brother…?"

"You're really close to him, aren't you?" Jito asked, smiling a little.

"He's the one who raised me and I almost never leave his side—except for the time when he was suspended…" Nagayoshi fell silent. Her eyes stared at the flowing river. She didn't notice Jito's growing worry through his reflection on the water. Then she turned to him. Her eyes full of trouble and questions. "Will he come, Jito? My brother?"

Jito sighed and shook his head, "I am no oracle. I couldn't foresee the future. What I know is that you've done your best. All you can do now is to pray and continue living. I'm pretty sure that's what he wants the most."

"How do you know?"

"Because he's your family just like me. I've lost you for fifteen years, Nagayoshi. I know how it feels like to pray and hope for a lost family to come home safely."

Nagayoshi faced the river again and another moment of silence ensued. It took longer than before. So long that it became awkward. Just when Jito was about to break the silence, the girl spoke. "I suck so bad…" she said. "Last time I was in confusion, I also had a friend who helped me decide. I can't seem to decide things on my own." She turned to Jito once more, this time with a smile. Jito returned the smile and the cousins hugged. "Thanks, Cousin…"

**|-oOo-|**

Not until she stepped out of her working room did Herasagi realize that the sun was about to retire for the day. The fact that she had been sitting in her working room for hours surprised her. No wonder her olden back was sore. However, all was not for nothing. She had the material to show to Nagayoshi. She walked towards the girl's room in slow steps, although she intended it to be fast. Her aching back slowed her down. When she got to the room, she found Nagayoshi nowhere inside.

Herasagi's left brow rose while her right brow pushed her eyelid down. She headed to the shop, wanting to ask Jito whether he knew anything about her departure. The tea shop was filled voices and noises from the customers who indulged in the menu's distinctive flavor. Jito entered the kitchen from the shop and grinned when he saw his grandmother finally appeared into the light.

"Well, where have you been, Obaasan? You're so mean for not greeting your regulars. They kept asking about you," said Jito. He grabbed one plate of rice candy he made fifteen minutes ago. "And," he added, "we need an extra pair of hands. We should hire another person to work here."

"Jito, where's Nagayoshi?" Herasagi asked, ignoring what her grandson just said.

"Her? She's out there," Jito said, smiling. He made way for his grandmother to the shop. He left her in daze as he delivered the rice candy to its designated customer.

Herasagi was baffled to see the girl walking there and about, from one customer to the other. Her agile hands wrote orders and swiftly taking dirty plates. She stacked a few plates, bringing them with a fine balance to the kitchen. Once she dumped the dirty plates in the sink, she smiled to Herasagi, saying, "Hi!"

"Nagayoshi, I need to talk to you," Herasagi said while still struggling to let go of the consternation.

"Not now. I'm a little busy," Nagayoshi answered hurriedly. She grabbed a set of ready-to-eat food and rushed out to hand them to the customers. After a while, she was back to the kitchen with another stack of dirty dishes.

Herasagi opened her mouth and stepped forward to confront Nagayoshi, but her aching back stalled her again. She winced; a pained hiss seeped through her teeth.

"Looks like your back is aching again, Obaasan," Jito said, appearing with his own stack of dirty dishes. "Rest. We can handle this."

"But I need to talk—"

"Later, Obaasan. It's almost closing time, anyway. You can talk later. Now just take a seat."

Herasagi obliged to what her grandson said. She sat and watched the two youngsters walked back and forth, serving one customer to the other. A couple of regular customers noticed her appearance and approached her. They asked her where she had been. She didn't tell them the details—not yet. She told them that her back was acting up again so she decided to rest all day. It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't entirely a lie either.

The sun had now completely set and the shop was closed at last. However, Nagayoshi and Jito's work wasn't finished just yet. Even so, Herasagi insisted to talk with the girl. She can talk while washing the dishes.

"Nagayoshi, I've been trying to tell you something. I've done some DNA research on you and Rishin. You said you want proof—"

"Forget it," Nagayoshi cut in. She stopped what she was doing for a while. She turned towards Herasagi who eyed her in disbelief. "Sorry for wasting your hard work, but, really, I don't need it anymore. Jito talked to me this afternoon and he helped me accept that you are my family."

Upon hearing the fact that Jito had disobeyed her, she glared at the young man, hands on her hips. "Jito! You heard what I told you!"

"I'm sorry! But I kinda feel obligated!" Jito replied in defense, raising both of his arms in front of him.

"He didn't do anything wrong," Nagayoshi came defending her cousin. "Actually, without him, it'll take forever for me to decide. I'm kind of an idiot, my head is as thick as a rock. Jito didn't persuade me; he only helped me answer my own questions."

Herasagi stared at Nagayoshi's obsidian eyes in surprise, then diverting her eyes to the test result in her hands. She then looked back up again when Nagayoshi laid both of her hands on her thin shoulders. Nagayoshi, however, avoided her eyes. A look of regret on her face.

"I'm…I'm sorry I shouted at you. I was just surprised. It's happening very unexpectedly," Nagayoshi encouraged herself to stare at Herasagi, but there was still doubt in her. "Will you forgive me, Obaachan?"

Herasagi nearly gaped when she heard the young girl called her 'Obaachan' for the first time. She cupped her face with her wrinkly hands. Tears flowed from her eyes. "Of course. Of course I forgive you!" Herasagi hugged her long lost granddaughter and she hugged back. Jito approached both females and expand his arms around them.

Everything was almost like a dream….

**|-oOo-|**

* * *

**Nothing to do here! Move to the next chapter already!**


	16. The Lightning I Know from the Past

**Chapter 16: The Lightning I Know from the Past**

* * *

Hokko thanked the man in the bar and headed out, adjusting his hat to protect his hairless head from the rain. The last couple of weeks had been full of rain. It felt like Amegakure had moved there. And while the more social Hokko investigated in the towns, despite being already midnight, the more distraught and less social Kakuzu continued to search in the woods, near the river. Kakuzu usually was a patient person. He could sit for hours just to wait for his target bounty to show up and step into his trap. However, even his patience had limits…and he just hit them.

He sighed heavily. Mist formed in front of his masked mouth. He stepped back and sat down on a large rock. He ignored the droplets of water wetting his headgear and his mask. His mind was too crowded to think about such trivial things. He watched the river flowing faster as the rain increased its quantity. He sighed again and shook his head.

He heard quick footsteps coming towards him. He needed not to turn around. Only one man who would be doing that at the moment.

"Well, any luck?" asked Hokko in his strange accent.

"None. Let me guess, it goes the same for you," Kakuzu said, his exhaustion weighed on his bass voice, making it sound even lower.

Hokko shrugged, "You guessed it."

The men fell in silence, each taking their breaths. The wind blew, hitting their soaked body with enhanced chill. Were they a normal human, they would be catching cold immediately.

"C'mon, Kakuzu-san," said Hokko, destroying the silence between them. "We better get goin'. There's still 'round five more towns to go through."

"Five more…" Kakuzu growled, "It's easy for you to say, but do you realize how long we've been searching? It's more than three weeks now! Three fucking weeks and we still got no fucking clue where she might be!" Kakuzu bellowed. His sudden emotional outburst startled his partner.

"What are you talkin' about, Kakuzu-san? We're gonna find her. We just need to search further," Hokko reassured his senior partner. Then he remembered Kakuzu's tantrums and started to keep his distance from him.

"Don't you realize that we only have six days left to search for her? How could you be so sure that, in the next town, we're absolutely going to find her? I don't remember you can read the future! How? Let's face it: she's gone. I lost her for sure…." Kakuzu's eyes drifted to the rocks and gravel below him. His confidence buried itself under the gravel, unwilling to be found again.

Hokko gaped, his one and only eye glared at his partner. "What're you sayin'? You can't give up on her. You're her brother—even though not biologically. You know her better than anyone else. Do you really think she'll die that easily?"

"Hokko," Kakuzu replied, "have you seen death? Have seen it in action, taking those closest to you? I know you have. You may haven't told me yet, but I know you've seen death making your life miserable. We have no power over it, even with your fancy lasso and my kinjutsu."

Hokko bitterly looked to a different patch of gravel and rock. What Kakuzu said was right; as much as he wanted to, he couldn't prevent death from happening. His lasso was just a tool to avoid death, but not preventing it. It the end, every living thing dies, despite having divine-like powers. However, Hokko's footing remained sturdier than Kakuzu's. Boldly, he said, "Fine. You can just sit there, go back to HQ and say that you fail. You can tell Pain-sama I quit—I don't care. I don't give up on people easily." Then he turned around, walking into the dense woods. Kakuzu was left alone, under the rain, mourning his loss.

In his eight-six years growing up to be a man and live like a man, he hardly felt weak. Not even in his academy days. All the time, he felt powerful, invincible, although flawed. However, this could be one of the rare moments where he felt really weak, really useless, very unmanly. He would love to bury his dignity and himself sixteen meters below a field of hardened lava. His pride seeped through his skin, following the rain droplets in the ground and under. He was a soulless mould of sand, shaped into a man. The heavy rain and wind would soon turn him into mud.

In his sorrowful mourning, a faint blue light flashed behind him, followed by an almost faint roll of thunder ten seconds later. It took extra ten seconds until Kakuzu's body started to perk up. His senses ignited. His attention on high alert. He turned around, to where he thought the thunder had struck. He looked up to the sky, hoping it would strike again. And it did.

Like a javelin of god straight from the atmosphere, it struck to the earth. It was long, thick, and blindingly bright. The lightning and the thunder combined almost felt like an explosion from Deidara's bombs. The only difference was the lack of shockwave. However, to Kakuzu, there was a shockwave and probably only he could feel the shockwave. Whatever that was, it was strong enough to make Kakuzu run into the woods.

"Hokko! Hokko!" Kakuzu shouted amidst the drumming of rain against the leaves and the ground. Hokko had just mounted on the carriage owned by a bearded, tall and chunky man in his late forties, known by the name of Garu. They were just about to leave until Kakuzu came shouting at Hokko and running towards him.

"Finally changed your mind?" Hokko asked, smirking.

Kakuzu didn't pay attention to Hokko's slight teasing. No nonsense for him this time. "We have a new heading. Go southeast. And don't stop until I say otherwise!"

Hokko blinked, his face turned into one of confusion. "You okay, partner? The rain messed with your brain?"

"Move over!" Kakuzu commanded, jumping onto the carriage. "Let's go. We have no time to waste."

**|-oOo-|**

The group marched southeastward. They rested at night, although Kakuzu claimed he would insist on going, were it not for some hunch he had all of a sudden. Hokko was the most surprised of the group. Kakuzu looked like he had developed a personality disorder. His eagerness to find Nagayoshi spiked up like an accelerated growth of a bamboo. It was so sudden and Hokko didn't know why.

When Kakuzu said, "We should rest here," Hokko was really expecting to have a good sleep, even though he was under a makeshift tent made of leaves and sticks. However, Kakuzu was not resting at all. If any, he was wide awake. No sign of exhaustion from him. And not only was he wide awake, he was sitting on top of a tree—in the middle of heavily rainy and windy night.

"Kakuzu-san! What're you doin'? You're sittin' on the peak of the tree! A lightnin' might zap ya!" Hokko shouted at his partner.

"That's what I'm hoping for…" Kakuzu muttered. Obviously, Hokko didn't hear that with all the wind and the rain.

"Kakuzu-san, go on now, you should take a rest! We have a long way to go tomo—"

"Shut up before I use this tree to smack your head with!" Kakuzu bellowed from up above. That one he intended to be heard. And Hokko heard it loud and clear.

"O-okay…" Hokko squeaked and left Kakuzu alone. He sat under the shelter of the tent restlessly. He thought his partner had gone mad. What was he doing up there?

Other than sitting, Kakuzu's eyes were fixed on one spot. The spot he last saw that almighty lightning. He knew lightning never strike the same place twice, but last night's was so different. Last night's lightning was different because it was familiar to him.

Kakuzu first saw that kind of lightning nine years ago. He was almost killed by it if his mind were a second too late to counter it. A few years later, he saw it again for the second time. That time, it didn't try to kill him, but it did kill someone else. Then much, much later, he saw it again, more than once in the same year.

Now Kakuzu was here, sitting, waiting for it to come. To come and lead his way. He waited…and waited….

And it struck! It was only a second, but the lightning was as bright as the sun. Kakuzu's eyes squinted, guarding his pupils from the intense light. A sonorous roll of thunder crashed within the clouds, moving further away from its epicenter. Kakuzu held his breath and his eyes expanded, their jade color glowed. He wanted to jump off from his position, leaving Hokko and Garu behind. But he must not. Coming back to fetch Hokko would be a waste of time.

So he jumped down and met up with Hokko in the makeshift tent. He said nothing and disregarded Hokko's questions and remarks. He just wanted to sleep and hope that their long journey would come to fruition.

**|-oOo-|**

If Kakuzu had a spirit meter, it would have spiked up 30 points. Kakuzu did not express his sprightliness like a little boy does, but his straightened back, his unusual frequency of impatient remarks, and his willingly helping to push the carriage off a deep hole proved to be too much excitement from this stoic man. Hokko may not have known this man for a long time, but all these months being his partner, spending a lot of time being his henchman, were enough for him to discover Kakuzu's character.

Nagayoshi told him once how Kakuzu always became so excited when he was hunting his bounty preys. This was like that, but more intense and, of course, emotional. And speaking of bounty hunting, it's been three weeks and five days since Kakuzu last hunted. The last bounty he hunted, if you do not remember, was the one who caused him doing this journey.

Hokko was glad though. Kakuzu seemed like he would commit suicide that day he lost his hopes. His jolt of spirit was as sudden as a bipolar person switching personalities. But he was not bipolar. Still, Hokko would like to know why.

He asked Kakuzu at night, when they were resting not far from the road. It was Kakuzu's turn to watch out, actually, but Hokko felt it was the only time he could discuss personal matters with his partner.

"So," he began muttering, not wanting to wake Garu up, "mind explain to me how you got your optimism back?"

"You have one guess," Kakuzu said, also in mutters.

Hokko shrugged, "I don't know. You got hit by a lightnin' or somethin'?"

"Close enough, but no. The lightning part was true, though. Right after you left me, there was a small lightning. After that, I felt something in the air. Something so close to home. I don't know if you notice it as well, but then there was a huge lightning and a very loud thunder. After that, I knew where I should go." Kakuzu explained. His voice was softer; it could be because he was muttering.

Hokko nodded. "Okay…so an unusual thunder led us this way? What makes you sure it's the right way?"

"You've never seen it, Hokko, that's why you couldn't tell. I've seen it several times, so I know."

Hokko nodded again, but shortly, he stopped. His mind had arrived on a deduction. "You mean, that unusual lightnin' was unnatural?"

Kakuzu started to beam. "The lightning itself was natural, but its occurrence was not. Someone created a magnetic field strong enough to attract a big one. And only a ninja could do such a thing."

Just as he finished speaking, the sky lit up in bluish light. A thunder rolled loudly. The lightning was close and it was bright. Kakuzu looked at Hokko. He said nothing, but the glint of his eyes hinted his partner something. Hokko almost gaped.

"That was it. It was her again," Kakuzu said.

From surprised, Hokko gradually laughed. He unintentionally hit Kakuzu on the back of his shoulder, breaking his once optimistic look into a scowl. Despite having turned Kakuzu's face into his normal grumpy look, Hokko remained laughing. "Ah, what a kid…" he said, giggling.

"It's curious, though. If she's alive, why didn't she just return to HQ instead? She could have just told Konan or someone so they would call us back," Kakuzu wondered.

Hokko shrugged, "Maybe somethin' holds her there, I dunno. You know her, she's kind, despite bein' a little naive." Then he turned to Kakuzu, "And what about you, Kakuzu-san? You could just run, y'know, and go find her. You can shorten a three-day trip into one if you just left me and Garu-san behind. 'Course, I'd be wonderin' where you are, but after you find her, I wouldn't mind bein' left behind."

"I actually considered that, but finding you who keep moving around might be harder. It would take time just as much, even more. In the end, we'll miss our due date," Kakuzu answered.

It was Hokko's turn to scowl. "Don't you have anythin' nicer to say about me?"

"Not much, just a thank you. For helping me find my sister."

Hokko smiled. "Nah, she's my friend, of course I'll help to find her." He then stood and wore his hat over his bald head. He stepped into the rain. "All this talkin' and rainin' make me wanna pee. Be right back!"

In the dark woods in the middle of the night, Hokko used one of his whips to give him some light. He didn't walk far, but looking back, it felt he had walked a mile. The darkness made everything seem farther than they actually were. And there was too many noise of the rain hitting the leaves and the ground. However, there was one particular sound he couldn't miss hearing. He stopped for a moment, trying to comprehend what that sound might be. It was definitely footsteps. It sounded between a stomp and a normal step.

"Kakuzu-san, is that you?" he asked. He doubted it was Kakuzu, but with the heavy rain, it was hard to be sure.

From within the darkness, Hokko heard a hiss. He thought it was a snake until another sound came, this time like a small waterfall. Hokko reflexively hopped away. He heard an acidic hiss from where he once stood. Knowing he was being attacked, he cracked his whip, setting it ablaze on an instant. He saw someone hopping back at the end of the whip.

Hokko landed on the ground and focused his ears for another attack. Seconds had passed and nothing or no one came. He loosened his guard slightly and did what he wanted to do initially. However, he was restless. What or who attacked him? And what was that small waterfall sound? He could still hear the hiss. As soon as he finished, he checked the source of the hissing sound.

Carefully walking, he retraced the sound. His eye narrowed in suspicion as he saw the source of the sound. The ground on which he stood before he was attacked had a puddle of what seemed to be acid. If it was a snake, the puddle was too big. He knew Orochimaru's snakes might be able to make such puddle of acid, but he knew it was not Orochimaru or his snakes. It was actually a person. Who, Hokko was yet to know.

**|-oOo-|**

The group went through a rough journey on the next day. Days and weeks of raining had caused significant damage to the road. Deceitful puddles in every meter and some parts of the road were nauseatingly uneven. Hokko and Kakuzu literally held on to their seat, afraid of plunging off from the carriage. Garu, being experienced with rough terrains on wheels, was unfazed. All that the Akatsuki duo hoped for was to arrive on their desired destination.

On the way, Hokko spotted something on the road. He tapped Kakuzu on the arm. "Look!" he exclaimed, pointing out the trees. Kakuzu leaned over to look. His eyes immediately expanded.

Somewhere among the trees, there was one heavily damaged tree. The branches and the leaves were scattered everywhere. The trunk was split into many sections and it was burned. One tree was dead, burned. Only a few trees nearby were affected by the fire, but supposedly, the heavy rain extinguished the flames in almost an instant that only a small part was burned. The duo did not need a genius to figure out what happened.

"We're close now," Kakuzu muttered. "Very close..."

* * *

**People, I am terribly sorry for the wait that seems like an eternity. But here's the good news: the final exams and the third semester is over! I have 10 days of holiday before the fourth starts. And don't ask how I got to have my finals on February! Weird university is weird.**

**You'd probably guess that this arc is about to end. Well, I don't intend to make it long. I have so many to uncover here.**

**Once again, thank you for your incredible patience! The double chapters are for you as a gift from me. **


	17. Bar Fight! Tea Shop Variant

**Chapter 17: Bar Fight! Tea Shop Variant**

* * *

"Funny!" Garu remarked. "This is exactly the place I'm heading originally!" The chubby man gave a hearty laugh, his round belly bounced with each 'ha'. "Oh, the things fate does to our lives…you'll never know what it'll bring to you!" Garu instructed his horse to enter the village; a village that was immersed in fish and sea odor.

Everywhere there were sailors, fishermen, and, occasionally, pirates. For a harbor village, though, it was fairly clean. The smell of the sea was normal since it was located right next to it. The bars were noisy with sea men drinking their first whiskey in weeks since they last touched the earth. Sea gulls flew above, some of them landed to steal a fish or two from the returning fishermen.

Kakuzu and Hokko decided to part with Garu. The chubby man's true destination was across the sea. They said their farewells (at least, Hokko did) and finally parted ways. However, the men were not sure where to start. They began by trekking the streets with a weigh of uncertainty.

"This is very nice," Kakuzu remarked sarcastically. "This is actually the last place we'd search in the map. And it's also the farthest…."

"Well, if she lives, then it's a miracle!" Hokko said, smiling in contrast to Kakuzu's return of the frown. "Where's your optimism, Kakuzu-san? We're here! We finally reach our destination, and your spirit has somehow deflated away. Wag yer tail again, partner!" Hokko cheered Kakuzu up and patted his back.

"You think I'm a dog of some kind?" Kakuzu growled. The masked man walked ahead, leaving the cowboy ninja sighing.

"It was worth the try."

**|-oOo-|**

The elderly couple of regulars laughed and thanked Herasagi in the counter for the delicious tea and snacks, which were made with less sugar for the sake of their health. Nagayoshi escorted them outside, giving them the last farewell with her smile—now warmer and less socially awkward than her first time working in the shop. That warm smile disappeared immediately as she moved her head left and right in search for signs of prospective mayhem, namely Yabuo.

"You don't have to be so vigilant, Nagayoshi," Jito said far behind her.

"I smell something fishy!"

Jito snorted, "Duh! Even the village is named 'Salty Dog'. Of course it smells fishy around here."

"No! I mean, that guy hasn't been attacking for a few days now. He's pretty determined. I know he must be heading this way with a gang of new people."

"Relax!" Jito assured his cousin, pulling her back inside the shop. "By now, he must be afraid to face you alone. You're just too strong for him. He needs a lot of large people to knock you down."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of…" Nagayoshi murmured, looking back to the shop's entrance. No face of mischief showed his self there yet.

The shop became quiet after the lunch hour. There were only four tables occupied and those people had just come. Nagayoshi used this chance to rest. She sat behind the counter; the height of the counter hid her physical presence from anyone's eyes. At which point, Herasagi came and hand her a glass of cool water. The grandmother sat on chair across her granddaughter. They both smiled at each other.

"That's right," Nagayoshi said all of a sudden. Herasagi blinked in confusion. "When I was here the first time, I noticed you frown a lot, especially at the mention of me leaving. But now, you seem to be smiling a lot, Obaachan. Do you have the hunch that I'm your long lost granddaughter ever since that time?"

Herasagi smiled meekly. "You could say so. I mean, you have his eyes—those dark, obsidian eyes—his hair, and the shape of his face. What made me doubt is your built," Herasagi answered.

Nagayoshi giggled. "Well, this is what happens when you stick around with my brother for years!"

"No, I mean your rather broad shoulders. Your father wasn't a very big guy. His body looks a bit like Jito's, but better, firmer." Herasagi peeked to the far side of the shop where Jito was standing. He didn't seem to hear what she said. She then turned to Nagayoshi again. "But that was the least of my suspicion. What assured me that you are Rishin's daughter is that your lightning chakra has the same…flavor as his. I quietly followed you and Jito into the woods on the second night you began your tree-zapping ritual. And there I saw it, I felt it. Your chakra suddenly brought back all of my memories about Rishin, and I just knew…you are my long lost granddaughter." Herasagi smiled to the girl in front of her. She began to get teary-eyed, but before she melted, she changed the mood to be more joyful.

"And those feet!" Herasagi nudged Nagayoshi's large-for-women feet with her smaller one, "It's as big as any male in our existing family! You have to be the first female to get this!"

Nagayoshi looked at her feet full of curiosity. Then the thought came to her: if it wasn't from her father's side, then… "Is it from my mother's side?"

Herasagi's cheery aura dissipated slowly. Her smile faded and the muscles on her face tensed. She nodded a little. "It could be, darling."

Nagayoshi noticed the change of aura around her grandmother. Herasagi seemed to be hiding something. The girl's curiosity drove her to ask, "Obaachan, what's my mother like?"

"Well, she's—"

Herasagi was interrupted by the sudden turn of weather. Heavy rain came rushing in like a myriad of shuriken thrown by the quickest ninja alive. The weather change was quite effective to divert Nagayoshi's attention. She hopped to her feet and rushed to the back of the shop, out to the veranda. "Let me handle the laundry," she said, disappearing from the shop.

The old woman sighed. She was a little relieved for not having the chance to tell Nagayoshi about her mother. She preferred to talk about it after the store was closed. She stood from her seat as Jito escorted new guests in.

**|-oOo-|**

The rain was one of the last things Kakuzu wanted to happen that day. To make it worse, most stores were closed for reasons unknown. Hokko, with a good intention, joked, "Hmm, they must've known Akatsuki and they're closin' because of us." That joke didn't brighten up Kakuzu's mood. If any, it raised the urge to gag the cowboy ninja's mouth, but Kakuzu was aware of what he needed.

So, Kakuzu told his partner, "Okay, baldy, if you wanna help me, knock on any of these houses and ask. I'm right behind you."

"Roger that, partner!" Hokko responded with gusto. He headed to the nearest house-shop and knocked on its front door. "Excuse me!" he shouted, fearing the sound of rain and the wind might carry his voice away. "Hello? Anybody in there?"

From the other side of the wooden door, Hokko heard a ragged breathing. "G-g-get away! We have nothing to do with you!" said a man with a voice so soft that even Konan's elegant voice sounded stronger. The Akatsuki duo couldn't see his face through the wooden door, though.

Hokko and Kakuzu looked at each other in wonder. Then Hokko turned back to the man inside the shop. "My partner and I mean no harm. Trust me. What makes you say that?"

"You…you're not th-the killer?" the soft-voiced man squeaked.

"Killer? What killer?"

"If you really aren't the killer, then you should know. The sailors told me a man was found killed in an alley near the harbor. The man lost a part of his head! They said the head looks like it's melted by a molten metal! The killer is said to be roaming around the village now. I don't want me or my family be harmed by that creature!" the man explained with shaky voice. Fear presented itself quite obviously.

"Alright, alright. Now I assure you I am not—"

"If you want your life to be spared, you should leave or stay inside somewhere. I'm sorry, I can't help you anymore. Your being in front of my shop may attract the killer's attention. Please…leave!"

The voice disappeared and never came back. Hokko turned to Kakuzu and shrugged. "I've no idea what's he talkin' about."

"It doesn't matter. Let's move on. You heard him; we might attract this 'killer' if we stick around too long. As much as I don't care about other people, it would be wise if we minimize any boisterous act," said the masked shinobi. Kakuzu walked ahead of Hokko, who followed shortly after. They gazed left and right as they walked along the street, looking for any open shop that did not sport a feeling of fear.

At last, on a different street from the shop where they stopped by to ask questions, a shop was opened. It was the only thing open and it wasn't even shy to keep the lights on as bright as possible. Moreover, a heavenly scent floated from inside. Hungry and tired, the scent easily lured Hokko. He tugged Kakuzu's arm. "Hey, look! That shop's open! Let's take a seat there and have somethin' to eat. We haven't eaten anythin' today, have we?"

"Don't you mean we ask someone in that shop about Nagayoshi? I don't feel like eating right now," Kakuzu declined. Nevertheless, he followed Hokko, who pulled his arm towards the shop.

"It's alright. My treat," Hokko said. He was optimistic the last word would make Kakuzu less hesitant.

"Oh, alright…" Kakuzu sighed. He yanked his arm off from Hokko's grasp and followed him inside.

"Welcome to Spoonbill Tea Shop, gentlemen," a young man wearing a pair of rimless glasses greeted them. It was a relief to see someone in the village that did not bear any fear upon seeing them.

"Two, please!" Hokko replied with a bright smile. Kakuzu…none.

"Right this way," the young man led them inside. "Where do you prefer to sit?" he asked.

Hokko looked around and found a place he preferred. He pointed that spot. "There, on the stools. I have some things I'd like to ask."

The young man blinked. "Okay…" he said. "Would you like to order something, sir?"

"Just gimme a warm cup of black tea and some warm brownies, then I'll be a happy man. What about you, Kakuzu-san?" Hokko asked his partner with his bright, toothy smile adorned on his face.

Kakuzu looked sideways, trying to avoid looking at Hokko's persuading smile. It felt like a threat to him, but a threat composed in such a soft way it's terrifying, even for Kakuzu. "I don't know," he mumbled, "green tea, I guess."

Hokko turned to the young man, still with a smile on his face. "He said green tea. He's not really in a good mood, so just make him anything." he said. He tried to protect the warm mood of the shop from Kakuzu's colder mood, and also trying not to let Kakuzu's coldness intimidate the young man.

While the young man was gone into the kitchen and the old lady previously standing behind the counter cleaned up the tables, Kakuzu let himself speak. He whispered, "You really have no intention in finding her right now, haven't you?" The whisper sounded more appropriate as a snarl.

"Hey, I'm hungry. I can't concentrate if I'm hungry!" Hokko answered casually, reading the menu. More than twice the food pictures on the menu succeeded in flooding his mouth with his own saliva. Being a criminal who was supposed to stay out of civilization, looking at such luxury was a once-in-a-lifetime moment he must cherish.

Kakuzu huffed. "And here I am stuck with you…fascinating…" he grumbled, putting his head on one of his hand. Just as Kakuzu's soul corroded from boredom, the teas and Hokko's brownies came. Still, the only one who was cheerful was Hokko.

"Yeehaw! Darn, this looks pretty good!" the cowboy ninja exclaimed, much to Kakuzu's discontent. Hokko started devouring the brownie and while chewing, he asked the young man, "Say, the other shops are closin', why isn't this one closed? Don't you fear about this 'killer' thing comin' to your shop and wreak serious havoc?"

The young man was about to answer him, but the old lady cut him in. "I heard of the news, but I'm not afraid a single bit. I've been threatened for a long time, so I get used to it. Besides, we have a very skillful sentinel~" the old lady said. Her voice clearly prided this 'sentinel'.

While the young man's attention was diverted to his grandmother's speech, Kakuzu took a stealthy sip of the tea. He opened his mask and drank as much as he could. He put the mask back on when the old lady had finished talking.

"You've been threatened for a long time?" Hokko asked to confirm. "By who?"

"I'M BACK, LADIES!" shouted a high-pitched male voice, causing the young man to jump in surprise. It came from the entrance and when Hokko turned around to look, he didn't expect the person to be so short. He wasn't even taller than Nagayoshi. However, behind him, there were four large men, all buff with too much muscle that even Kisame would have problem to carry around his chest and arms.

"Who is he? A yakuza leader?" Hokko asked in whispers.

"No. Just a street thug with pirate heritage and an enormous ego," the young man answered. He glared at the thug. "It's been a while, Yabuo. So you decided to show up when our sentinel is busy. How brilliant," he taunted.

"Shut the hell up, ye!" the guy named Yabuo retorted. His face flushed with embarrassment. "That's why I invited these guys with me! They're gonna beat her ass up—fer sure! And they better do 'cause I paid a lot o' money to them!"

"The mugger gets mugged. How ironic, isn't it, Yabuo?" the young man continued to taunt.

Yabuo became furious. He stormed towards the young man, wanting to pull his collar down to his height. He pushed Hokko away, bellowing, "Move away!" but the other man on his left did not move. He eyed Kakuzu irritably. From the looks of situation, Hokko knew what might happen.

"Um, partner, you shouldn't bother him…" Hokko said to Yabuo.

"Shuddup!" Yabuo growled at Hokko, who moved back. Then Yabuo turned back to Kakuzu, who was still waiting for a chance to drink his tea without having to show his stitched face. Yabuo roughly pushed him. "Hey ye! I said move away!" he shouted. Hokko sighed and buried his face in his hand. Yabuo continued to pester Kakuzu. "Ye! Ye think yer some kind of a macho man? When I said move away, it's move away ye shou—_aaack!_"

Having enough of Yabuo's annoying blabbers, Kakuzu grabbed the little man by the neck. It was still loose enough to let him breathe, but tight enough to hold him from speaking. Yabuo's buff henchmen stared wide-eyed at the rebel of the masked man. Kakuzu stood and with his height, Yabuo's feet were dangling off from the ground.

"I'm tired, I have a lot going on in my mind, and you have to act as if you're my boss! I don't like it! And when I don't like something, I get angry, and when I get angry, I use everything I need to use to wipe your ass off from the face of the universe!" Kakuzu roared. With his thick bass voice, he sounded like a dragon in a cave, having been awakened involuntarily from his slumber.

The old lady suddenly interrupted. "Oh, if you're going to have a fight, will you wait for a minute?" She quickly ordered the available customers who were strong enough to move the tables aside. Hokko and her grandson helped. The cowboy ninja clearly declared that he did not wish to get involved in the fight. Exactly a minute later, the tables were moved aside. "Now, you may proceed," said the old lady, acting as a match bell.

Kakuzu roared and threw Yabuo at two of his men. They were unprepared and fell aback. The other two became enraged and launched their fists towards the masked shinobi. Kakuzu gave those two large men a hook on the chin. As they staggered, Kakuzu sent off a spinning back roundhouse kick to one of them, but not too strong, as he only wanted to scramble the man's senses before he gave him another kick that sent him rocketing to the back.

"Get 'im! GET 'IM!" Yabuo shouted frantically, telling his other two men to rise and attack Kakuzu. They rampaged with an unnerving bellow. One of them ran ahead of the other with his melon-sized fist ready to squash Kakuzu's head. But the fist was easily captured by Kakuzu's hand.

With that same hand, Kakuzu spun his opponent before dropping him on the ground with a crash. Like a soccer ball, he kicked the second fallen henchman to the same spot he threw the first. The first, who had just risen to his feet, collapsed again as the second henchman fell on him.

As Kakuzu brawled with the remaining henchmen (plus Yabuo's occasional and useless attempt in hitting Kakuzu with a chair), the other customers, the owner of the shop, her grandson, and Hokko watched with awe. Two boys even cheered at Kakuzu. Hokko used this time to light his cigar. He sure made a right choice not to get involved in the fight. He wouldn't want to miss the enjoyment seeing four large men plus one puny mongrel getting their asses whopped by one man. Hokko was so enjoying the view that he couldn't help but laugh at some point. And he laughed really hard.

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi tried to rescue the laundry as quick as he could, but there were just too much clothes to salvage. That was what happened when three people's dirty clothes weren't washed quickly and were left in the laundry basket for almost two weeks. Luckily, the clothesline on the rooftop had a roof, though not enough to prevent rain with sideward wind.

She was salvaging the last pieces of laundry on the rooftop when she heard multiple crashes coming from the shop. From the roof, she could see two large men were thrown out of the shop. Then another came with the last one dropping over him. Nagayoshi's heart beat accelerated. "He's here!" she said, knowing that Yabuo had arrived without her noticing. Then she gasped. "Obaachan! Jito!" Quickly, she grabbed any clothing left and jumped downstairs. She threw the laundry into a room (in this case, Herasagi's room) and ran into the kitchen.

Her mind was filled with possible horror that could have been done to her newfound family. Moreover, there was the news about the man who was killed near the harbor and the killer roaming around the village. If those two large men were Yabuo's, then could 'the killer' possibly be the one who kicked them out? She accelerated, not wanting to lose her grandmother and her cousin so soon.

With a little bit too much power, she cleaved the shades between the kitchen and the shop's counter apart. She was half-expecting a total havoc, with blood everywhere and broken furniture, but instead, she saw something else entirely different. What she saw froze her feet. Her eyes widened, the pupils dilated. There, in the middle shop, with the tables moved aside, stood her adoptive brother, menacingly holding Yabuo on the front of the shirt. "You have any last words, mongrel?" he snarled at the little guy. Yabuo yelped like an abused dog. He tried to guard his face with his arms.

The girl took a deep breath…

"Oniisan!" Nagayoshi shouted.

Instantly, everybody froze, most especially the person whose title was being called. Yabuo, Herasagi, and Jito gaped in surprise. Hokko unknowingly dropped his cigar. Kakuzu suddenly forgot about his anger, his bad mood, and his escalating violent tantrum. He dropped his prey, not caring if he landed safely or not. He turned around, convincing himself his head did not made that calling. His eyes dilated as he saw the figure of the girl he had been searching for almost a month. Her condition was better than he anticipated. Emotions immediately overwhelmed his capability of speech. "Nagayoshi," was all he could say.

"Oniisan!" Nagayoshi ran towards him, jumping over the counter. Responding her movement, Kakuzu hurried towards her. The two sped towards each other, minimizing the distance between them with every step. Nagayoshi hopped again and hugged her brother by the neck. Kakuzu put his arms around her body with one hand on the back of her head. It was no dream—it was real.

The adoptive siblings reunited once again.

Nagayoshi couldn't hold back her tears. She heard Kakuzu whisper, "Thank goodness, you're alive. I've been searching everywhere for you." It made her cry harder and she tightened her embrace.

"I miss you, Oniisan…" she sobbed.

Despite the sentimental atmosphere, Yabuo only felt escalating fear. His mouth opened and closed as he searched for words to express his terror upon knowing that the girl he feared the most had a sibling many times as scary. "Brother?" he exclaimed, backing away from the scene. "This is mad! The world's gone mad! Mad! _AAAARGH!_" Yabuo scampered outside, away from the terror. Soon, the large henchmen he hired ran as well. Never again would they get near that place.

Hokko approached the reuniting brother and sister. Nagayoshi noticed him coming and extended one hand for Hokko to hold. Hokko smiled warmly at her and she smiled back. He took her hand with both of his hands. "Good to have you back, kiddo."

* * *

**The scene would be more touching if it was a manga…but what can I do? I'm a writer, not an illustrator. Anyway, I'm so happy with this 10-day holiday! It increases my fanfic productivity~! But wait! The arc's not all finished! Don't you wanna know who this 'killer' is? Obviously, it's not Brandon Flowers…**

**And I'm so happy about this week's episode of Naruto (250). Kisame is back, bitches! Although he gets his ass kicked three times there…but that's life being the bad guy! Can't wait for his flashback special next week! X3**


	18. The Hunchback

**Chapter 18: The Hunchback**

* * *

After rearranging the tables and chairs once the commotion was over, Herasagi let Nagayoshi and the two Akatsuki members rest and chat in the main house. Nagayoshi pulled her brother's arm like a child entering a toy store. She brought them to her room where they could dry themselves after walking around the village in the middle of the rain. After that, they exchanged stories. Nagayoshi told the two men how she became the tea shop's employee. Kakuzu told her how he and Hokko came to find her.

"I heard your call," Kakuzu said. "Your call reached me and you gave me hint of where to go. I've to thank you for helping us." Kakuzu patted Nagayoshi's thick black hair, pushing a tear close to the corner of her eye. It felt like decades since he last patted her like this.

Nagayoshi giggled. "I guess the secret training you gave me wasn't a waste at all, Oniisan!"

While Kakuzu nodded in agreement, Hokko raised one of his eyebrows. He held both of his hands in the air. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whaddaya mean by 'secret training'? What secret training? How come I never knew about this?"

"Well, it's because we did it when we got back to the HQ. You always spend most of your free time sleeping or writing oxen songs. It's the only time we have in which we don't have to attract danger to ourselves," Kakuzu answered nonchalantly.

"Then why didn't you tell me about it?" Hokko protested.

"Again—let me reiterate for you, baldy—you spent most of your free time sleeping or writing oxen songs. They're always more important to you. Do you think Nagayoshi didn't knock on your room when she wanted to bring you to her training?"

Hokko turned to the girl for confirmation and Nagayoshi nodded, proving to the cowboy ninja that everything Kakuzu said was true. He rubbed the back of his head, laughing in embarrassment. He must have sunk in his hobbies and sleep so much that even repeated knocking on the door did not stir him up. Still curious, he continued asking, "So what training did you do?"

"Lightning call," answered Nagayoshi. "You know, the thing I did to guide you guys here," she added when Hokko gave her the look of question. "Still, it wasn't me who suggested the training. Oniisan did. He said he's seen me doing it before, but I can't remember."

"Don't wanna talk about it," Kakuzu quickly barged in before Hokko had any chance to ask. Nagayoshi shrugged.

"Oh!" Hokko exclaimed. He rummaged his pouch and took out a short stick made of metal alloy. He handed it to the girl. "I believe this is yours," he said, smiling.

"My baton! Thanks, Hokko-san!" Nagayoshi chirped, holding the baton close to her chest. She put her trusty weapon in its rightful place, her weapons pouch. After she returned to the two men again, she began, "Now I think it's time to announce the good news."

Both men opened their ears; Hokko leaned over, interested and curious.

"I introduced you to Jito and Herasagi-obaachan, right?" she asked as a warm-up. Then she grinned and added, "Actually, they are my family. And by family, I mean biological family. Herasagi-obaachan is, well, my grandmother and Jito is my cousin. Both are from my father's side. The rest of the family—my other cousins, uncles and aunts—are in Kirigakure. Isn't that cool? My roots are actually the same as Kisame's!"

Hokko smiled from ear to ear until he began to cackle. He slapped his knee as he whooped. "Congratulations, Nagayoshi-chan!" Hokko cheered, holding and shaking Nagayoshi's hands. The two of them were immersed in laughter of joy. However, Kakuzu maintained his cool.

After letting Hokko and Nagayoshi laughed to their heart's content, finally, Kakuzu said something. "Congratulations, Nagayoshi. So I guess this means you know where you belong, eh?"

The laughter stopped and Nagayoshi stared at her brother in disbelief, questioning the meaning of his words. The way he said it was unpleasant to her ears. "What are you talking about, Oniisan?" she asked. "Why do you say that?"

"That means you don't need me anymore. You have your real family. You have the people who will give you real life regardless of what you have done," Kakuzu said. There was a weight on his voice. He had to sustain his posture from melting as he spoke.

In his response, Nagayoshi stood upright. She looked down to Kakuzu who looked back at her with cold eyes. "I can't believe this!" she bellowed. Then she forced a smile. "C'mon, Oniisan, you can't be serious. You're just jealous, aren't you? We may not be related by blood, but you're still my brother." She stopped to look at Kakuzu's eyes. They remained as they were. Kakuzu was not joking nor was he jealous. Nagayoshi boiled. "So is that it? You found me then you're going to dump me? You never intend on taking care of me since the first time, don't you? It's all because I stick too close to you. You never want me to be around!

"If you think I didn't think about whom to choose, you're wrong, Oniisan! The nights after I found out that the people of this house are my biological family, I actually had a hard time sleeping. I wasn't sure who to choose to live with: you or this family. But I made up my mind. I've spent so many quality times with you that I don't want to miss every second of it unless either of us dies. I want to stay in Akatsuki, Oniisan! Why do you have to come up with such a thing?" She ended with her nostrils flaring; if she were a dragon, fire would be billowing from them. The heat generated by her veins boiled the bottom of her tear glands, making her eyes seem wetter than normal.

Kakuzu stood up and slowly approached her. Nagayoshi glared at his approach, slapping one of his hands when he tried to touch her. Kakuzu usually would retry with a double amount of harshness, but he was mellower this time, as he knew that an equally snappy reply would only worsen their argument. He did forcefully grab his adoptive sister's head, though, but it was not violent. He held her head on both sides, forcing her face to accost him, even if she refused to look at his eyes. Nagayoshi squirmed in his grasp, but the more she tried, the harder Kakuzu held her. Not long after, Nagayoshi stopped squirming. Her eyes looked anywhere but Kakuzu's eyes.

"I believe you're old enough to know about this, but it seems you haven't quite got it. I'm thinking about your safety. Seeing you getting injured more than I do is painful for me. I'd rather have you leagues away and safe rather than having you close but constantly getting hurt by my enemies. If I knew that I'm going to be this attached to you, I would have let you independent in Kumo," Kakuzu said; his voice low and soft.

"But, Oniisan, am I not a shinobi? It's occupational hazard! Why are you treating me like a normal kid?" Nagayoshi protested.

"It doesn't matter whether you're normal kid, abnormal kid, alien kid, or whatever!" Kakuzu retorted, his voice rose, though not yet in the same level as shouting. "You are my responsibility. It is any sane parent or guardian's job to keep their responsibility safe. Why can't you just ONCE understand where I'm coming from?"

Silence ensued…. Hokko removed his gaze from the siblings. Kakuzu loosened his grasp and returned his hands to his side. He turned away, sighing out his frustration out of his body. His once calm composure disappeared. Nagayoshi's eyes met the tatami of her room; she was pondering.

The silence could have continued for another hour or more had Jito not open the door to call the three for dinner. His extended dinner call was stuck in the middle of his throat upon feeling the tension in the room. His mouth gaped; closing and opening with no sound coming out. Diverting his confusion, Hokko brought Jito outside. He said, "Say, you said dinner's ready, eh? Whatcha got, boy?"

Stuttering, Jito answered, "Um, just some nikujaga with boiled vegetables…"

"Great! Take me to 'em!" The cowboy ninja ushered the young man away from the room. Once they were in the living room where the family usually serves and eats dinner in, he added, "We gotta leave 'em some time alone together, although I doubt they gonna settle things in the same night."

"Is everything alright with Nagayoshi and Kakuzu-san?" asked Jito.

"They argue a lot. It's an everyday thing," Hokko answered, taking his chopsticks before saying pre-dinner prayer.

"That one didn't look like an everyday argument," Jito remarked as he sat before his own dinner tray. "I have sisters too, Hokko-san. I know when mere sibling arguments turn serious."

Hokko sighed. He decided to help himself with the dinner. "Nagayoshi-chan told me that you're her cousin and that your grandma's also her grandma," Hokko said before inserting a bunch of rice using the chopsticks into his mouth.

Jito nodded. Then he reared his head up. "So that's what they're arguing about…"

"Nice! You get it right on the first try!" Hokko complimented. He gave Jito a bright smile as a reward.

"I…I feel sorry for her. And Kakuzu-san too…I feel bad for taking his most precious away from him."

"Don't be. You are her biological family, right? Ya can't say exactly that you're takin' her." Hokko paused eating and craned his neck up. He watched the overhead lamp giving faint flickers. "It is gonna be hard for her, though. But she has to decide and no one should be influencin' her choice this time. Although…Kakuzu-san might have the same opinion as you."

"What about you, Hokko-san? What's your opinion?" asked Jito.

Hokko returned his gaze to the young man. "Me?" he regarded to himself with a sour smile. "I go with whatever she chooses. She's not my kid, anyway, so I won't be as emotionally affected." He stabbed a chunk of potato with the end of his chopsticks. He added, "I just wish she knows what she's doin'," and then ate the potato.

**|-oOo-|**

Much to Kakuzu's dismay, Nagayoshi insisted on returning to Akatsuki. Early in the next morning, Nagayoshi took out her new travelling bag and started packing for her journey back to Akatsuki. The group of three would not be going until tomorrow, though. Kakuzu decided to stay at the town for one more night. He wanted to get to know better his adoptive sister's biological family.

No positive mood could get into him, even as he saw how wide and bright Nagayoshi's smile was when she conversed with Jito. All that could come up in his mind was a self-hurting remark. He was more convinced that this village was a better environment for her to live in. _I wish I found this place sooner…._ Kakuzu thought.

Kakuzu spent the rest of his day sitting on the veranda, again drinking tea, accompanied by his partner. At which point, Nagayoshi came and sat beside him. Kakuzu watched her fiddling her fingers as she prepared herself to speak to him. She didn't turn her face towards him, but she began to speak. "There's…one more thing I have to tell you," she said, her fingers were still being fiddled. "I may have met my grandmother and one of my cousins. But, you see, I haven't met my parents yet. I wonder if they're out there, probably looking for me as well. So, I thought, if I follow you, Oniisan, I might be able to find them."

Another silence ensued, although it did not bear the same tension as the silence last night. Nagayoshi still faced the garden path made from pale blue pebbles that were neatly organized without using cement. There was a sigh and suddenly Nagayoshi jerked forward, not to her expectation. Kakuzu had just slapped the back of her head.

"That's one dog damn good excuse. Fine! Today, I'll let my argument lose against yours for once. Then be ready to wake up early tomorrow. I want to arrive at the HQ before nightfall," Kakuzu told her. His statement of approval caused Nagayoshi's head to finally turn to face him with a look of surprise and delight blended into one.

Nagayoshi smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Oniisan!" she said. She hugged Kakuzu on the arm; at the same time, Hokko stood upright. He had one of his whips out and stretched. His eye was targeting the west side of the garden which was covered in bamboo trees, acting as a second layer of fence.

Both Kakuzu and Nagayoshi stared at Hokko in confusion. "Hokko-san? What's wrong?" asked Nagayoshi, letting go of her hug to Kakuzu's arm.

"Activate your EMP sensors, kiddo. I only felt this chakra once, but I recognize it," said Hokko, not removing his gaze from the west side of the garden.

Nagayoshi activated her extra sensory—the sensory she hadn't used for weeks. Kakuzu stood up as well. He also started to sense someone's presence. Nagayoshi's sensory confirmed it all. "There is someone behind the bamboo trees. But who is it? It could be just a passerby," Nagayoshi said.

"You don't understand, Nagayoshi-chan. I know this chakra and the last time I felt it, I was attacked."

"Come to think of it, I think I recognize it too," added Kakuzu. "I felt its trail everywhere we go. I think it's been following us." Kakuzu turned his arms into stone. Then he shouted towards the bamboo trees, "Show yourself!"

There was no response for the first few seconds until a raspy voice broke through the wind. "I found you…" said the raspy voice. "I found you…"

Slowly, the figure appeared. It was a man whose body was as skinny as the real Pain, Nagato. His height was hard to determine. His hunched back made him shorter than he really was. His hunched back and his long arms that were just flailing on the sides made his stance similar to a chimpanzee. His hair was brown and as long as his lower back. It was unruly, as if it had never been combed for decades. Folds of bags under his eyes weighed his glaring cinnamon eyes. His mouth was covered in a mask that seemed to be made of metal of some sort.

Kakuzu stepped forward, displaying his dominance and power towards the approaching threat. "You've been following us. What purpose have you with us?"

The thin eyebrows of the mysterious hunchback slanted and pressed on the bridge of his nose. "I'm not following you. No one is following anyone. I was already there when you hitched the ride," said the hunchback.

Both Kakuzu and Hokko's eyes narrowed. "That's impossible," said Kakuzu. "If you were with us all along, how come we didn't notice your presence?"

The hunchback laughed. His raspy voice created an almost asthmatic squeak in the beginning of his laughter. "Fools! You both and that man! I exchanged his original carriage with my own, which was specially built to mask my chakra signature. Only an animal that has strong sense of smell can detect me, but I was lucky that you own none. That man, Garu, never knew he carried me all this time, and then you two came. I was thankful that you are the exact people who would lead me to my objective: that girl!" He pointed one of his overgrown nails at Nagayoshi.

"What do you want with me? I don't even know you!" Nagayoshi retorted.

"Oh, we don't know each other, all right, but you know my brother." He paused, but was disappointed to see the same perplexed face. He roared, "You killed him! You hunted him for his head and then you killed him mercilessly!"

"I told you, I don't know—"

"Yes, you do!" the hunchback roared. "Yato was his name!" He reached for the ends of his mask and untied the leather rope. "I can't believe my brother was killed by people as stupid as you, who don't even recognize him as a proper foe. Fine, perhaps if you see my ability, you might remember who he is."

The mask was untied and the hunchback let it drop to the gravel garden path. His mask had been hiding a hideous set of teeth; they were more yellow than a heavy smoker's teeth and more disarranged than a hobo who never brushes. Greenish yellow liquid dripped from his mouth, enhancing his already-hideous oral feature. The gravels touched by the liquid sizzled. Had the three a weaker stomach, they would have vomited all of their breakfast in disgust.

The hunchback sneered. "My saliva is not normal saliva. It's acid. My brother has a similar ability, only he uses his blood to turn into acid."

Nagayoshi blinked in realization. "So it's him…" she muttered. "Now I remember. So now you want to avenge your brother's death, don't you?"

"You're slow, but it's nice that you finally remember."

Nagayoshi rubbed the back of her neck. "Geez, I'm really becoming my brother…. Now I'm begrudged by the brother of someone I killed."

The hunchback closed his mouth and collected as much acid as possible in his mouth, making his cheeks bloated. The acid jetted as he pumped them from his mouth. Kakuzu, Hokko and Nagayoshi evaded in a flicker and attacked the hunchback. Having moved to a dry place, Nagayoshi placed her hand on the ground. _"Takogesu Sanran!"_ she shouted. Arms of lightning bolt emerged from the ground, some remained. The ones that travelled by air attacked the stream of acid and let the liquid carried its voltage back to the source. The hunchback ceased his acid attack and jumped skyward.

An attack bellow came from above. Kakuzu, who had his fists hardened, charged using all his power. The hunchback turned around in midair and squirted more acid. Kakuzu didn't bother to evade; he let the acid burned him as long as he could deliver his bone-crushing punch. The punch was successful; the hunchback rocketed back to earth. Kakuzu turned to water while still in midair. It was a _mizubunshin_ all along.

The hunchback staggered to his feet. The fall had him disoriented. Before he could process the situation, Hokko had made a series of hand seals. _"Katon: Karou no Jutsu!" _Hokko breathed a long line of flame which then encircled the hunchback in a dome of fire. With the help of another hand seal, he brought the flames closer to its prisoner, trapping him before burning him into ashes.

Sizzling was heard from the fire prison, followed by billows of smoke. The fire began to fade; Hokko had already comprehended what was going on. "Shit…" he hissed.

"What is it?" asked Kakuzu.

"This guy can use water-based jutsu. My fire jutsu won't be much of use."

And, indeed, the hunchback was using a pure water jutsu. He sprayed the fire until it was entirely extinguished. He grinned, showing all his unsightly teeth. Again, he accumulated acid in his mouth, preparing a long, wet, and painful spray. But the accumulation was disrupted with him screaming, hence causing the acid to sprout harmlessly to the ground. Four spikes of lightning pierced the hunchback from the back through. He looked around, looking for the culprit, and found her behind him. She hadn't removed her hand off the ground from the time she delivered her jutsu. Apparently, he missed some that were travelling underground.

In spite of the lightning spikes still sticking out of his chest, he turned around, roaring like a mad man as he did so. Once again, he collected a fair amount of acid in his mouth. He made sure he faced Nagayoshi straight. All that he had done was to avenge his brother killed by this girl. Even if he had to die in the process, he had to kill his brother's killer by any means necessary. With a guttural roar, he threw the acid in a long stream straight to Nagayoshi.

Nagayoshi was unfazed and held her left hand directly at the streaming jet of acid. Her palm glowed; she was about to fire, but something stood in front of her, blocking her attack range. She was pushed back with such force she fell. She was removed from the battlefield by her grandmother. And her grandmother took all the attack on her chest. The acid reacted upon contact. Sizzling can soon be heard and Herasagi fell to the ground, grunting and moaning in pain.

"Obaachan!" Nagayoshi screamed in horror. She rushed towards her, holding her head and body, making sure not to touch the part that was scorched by strong acid. She continued to scream her name; each call was louder than the previous. She turned towards the hunchback whose posture had become more hunched with his losing blood. "You!" she growled. She stood upright; her hands were clasped together as she began to form a hand seal.

"Stand aside, Nagayoshi," Kakuzu said, standing in front of her. "Hokko, attend to her wounds. I'll deal with this guy." He walked towards the hunchback, treading the garden carefully to avoid contact with the acid that created puddles on the ground. He examined his opponent; he still had some life in him, but not for long. Nagayoshi's _Takogesu Sanran_ injured more than enough to make him die from excessive blood loss. Kakuzu made a series of scenario on how to end the life of this mad man. In respect to the woman who had saved his sister, he tried not to make more mess on her garden, so decapitating the hunchback was out of question.

He came to a conclusion. He appeared behind the hunchback in a blink of an eye. He grabbed his long hair, not caring if he was being too merciless, and brought him out of the territory of the house. He took him deep into the forest and they both disappeared.

In the house, Hokko began to heal Herasagi's severe flesh burns with his life-giving whip. Jito helped to clean the acid. If the acid weren't washed, no matter how hard Hokko tried and gave his own lifespan, the acid would still burn her skin and flesh. Cleaning it with water may make his job easier.

All the while, Nagayoshi held Herasagi's hand tightly. She muttered to her, telling her grandmother not to leave her too soon. She still wanted to talk to her, she wanted Herasagi to introduce her to the rest of the family, she wanted to know more about her parents. After cleaning the acid off Herasagi's flesh, Jito brought Nagayoshi aside while Hokko was taking the injured old lady into her room and treated her further inside. The two grandchildren followed, watching the healing progress of their grandmother ensued.

**|-oOo-|**

Kakuzu returned after putting the hunchback to his eternal rest—four meters under the earth. He may still be able to breath and spray acid when Kakuzu left him, but the acid will burn the earth eventually brought him deeper underground. When he arrived back in the house, the garden was empty. The people had moved back inside.

He knew that he should search Herasagi's room for everybody. Herasagi's room was not hard to find; there was a chime hanging in front of the door to her room—so said her grandson. That alone should be easy to pinpoint where her room was, but this time, Kakuzu got an extra help. Splaying like a cat, Hokko snoozed on the veranda near the room's entrance. His hat tipped to the side, revealing his completely hairless head.

This was the second time Kakuzu saw Hokko falling asleep after performing life transfer jutsu. The first time was after he healed most of Nagayoshi's injury caused by his resurrected ex-partner. Back then, he thought Hokko might be exhausted because he also suffered injury from the fight. This time, Hokko only participated a little in the fight. Kakuzu assumed that the more severe the injury, the more energy will Hokko use to perform life transfer jutsu.

Slowly, Kakuzu slid the door and stepped inside. There, Nagayoshi was still crying over what happened to her grandmother. Jito was beside the old lady, dabbing on her sweat as her body perspire in its struggle to stay alive. "How is she?" asked Kakuzu.

"The most serious part of her injury has healed, thanks to Hokko-san. Unfortunately, he was already exhausted before he could finish fixing the remainder of Obaachan's injury. Hopefully, she can go through this…" said Jito. For a moment there, he was unsure of his grandmother's fate.

"She should!" Nagayoshi sniffed. "She can't die yet, not when I still have a lot of questions." She held her hand tightly, sending her wishes through the touch. Kakuzu then put his hand over Nagayoshi's before slipping between her grasp, removing her from her grandmother. Nagayoshi was about to give a word of protest but by Kakuzu's putting a finger over her mouth got ahead of her.

Kakuzu wiped her tears. "I understand your concern for her," said Kakuzu, "but she needs rest. And I'm pretty sure she doesn't fancy your tearful face."

"I'll keep an eye on her, Nagayoshi," Jito added, smiling reassuringly as he unleashed his healing jutsu he learned when he was still a ninja. "My healing jutsu won't work as good as it was when I healed your wounds, but it may ease her pain a little."

Nagayoshi still wanted to stay, but with Kakuzu ushering and Jito convincing her, she obliged. Kakuzu escorted her out of the room like a nurse to a crippled old woman that needs a cane to walk. Upon stepping outside, Nagayoshi witnessed the efforts done by her comrade. Hokko was still sleeping soundly, just like when Kakuzu first found him after he finished the life of the hunchback. The day was not even midday, but it felt like middle of the night already…

* * *

**Sorry again for the long wait…! Yep, assignments have been keeping me. But fear thou must not for I have a new and smart solution! Ever since having an iPad in my possession, my fic-writing life has gotten easier! You see, I write my stories using this program called 'OmmWriter'. I first use it on my laptop, and it turns out, the app is available in iTunes (only for iPad)! :D Now I can write my fanfic on the go! Sure…it cost me almost $5…and it's expensive if you convert it into Rupiah!**

**Okay, I plan to wrap this arc up on the next chapter, so brace yourselves! A possibly-long chapter ahead next!**

**Jutsu Translation notes:**

**_Katon: Karou no Jutsu _****= Fire release: Fire prison Jutsu**


	19. Kandori Nagayoshi

**Chapter 19: Kandori Nagayoshi**

* * *

Hokko rose up from slumber, yawning wide. It had been quite some time since he slept like this—a sleep that was so deep he felt like he was dead. He rubbed his only eye as he sighed in content. He then blinked, remembering why he could fall asleep like that. He turned his gaze to the room in front of which he slept. Opening the door gently, he peeked in. His patient was still sleeping. He stepped inside and inspected Herasagi's wounds. It has gotten better since he last saw it. He then scanned over Herasagi's condition. She did not seem to be in pain anymore. She breathed more steadily and she did not sweat as much.

The cowboy ninja smiled in relief.

Next, he searched for his partner and his little friend. He found them in their room; Kakuzu was sitting against a wall reading his unfinished book of an over-one-hundred-year-old tragedy story about a young son of a clan leader who sought revenge to his uncle for killing his father and taking over the clan. On his lap, Nagayoshi laid her head. She had fallen asleep, probably tired of being worried about her grandmother. Once in a while, Kakuzu looked at her and put a hand on her thick-haired head.

Hokko smirked, folding his arms and leaning on his shoulder against the door frame. "Well, this is rather cute," he remarked, "Never knew you could be so soft."

Not bothering to look at his partner, Kakuzu replied in a low voice, "Don't make me kill you with this book." He dog-eared a page of the book and closed it; having a chatty someone in his quiet zone would not let him concentrate on his reading. Still not looking at Hokko, he said, "You okay now?"

"Yep!" Hokko answered, stretching his arms and coming to sit near Kakuzu. "All I need is some sleep. Something you should do once in a while."

"I sleep, just not as often as you. I'm a busy man. I don't spend my days living like a sloth or writing songs that only cows will hear," Kakuzu said.

Hokko frowned. "What do you have against my songs? It's called country! I grew up with that kinda music!"

"Country? Really? I've heard better. Yours is like—"

"A cow. I know!" Hokko interrupted, scowling at his partner.

"I haven't said anything."

Both Akatsuki noticed Jito walking towards their room. He came to call for dinner. Hokko immediately stood up; he could not believe he had slept for around six hours. His stomach grew berserk upon hearing the word 'dinner'. He left the room first; Kakuzu still had to wake Nagayoshi up. He shook her, but seeing that didn't work, he deliberately removed his lap from under her head, causing her head to drop to the floor. Nagayoshi jolted up in surprise. She complained, but Kakuzu, without a pinch of guilt, told her to eat.

In her time staying in the house, this was the most silent dinner Nagayoshi had ever experienced. It felt strange yet at the same time, familiar. Dinners with the two Akatsuki men in the wild were always silent. Nagayoshi had tried provoking a conversation, but it never happened. She sometimes wondered if it was because their old-man stomach could not concentrate digesting the food if they were talking at the same time. She never asked about it; both men may have aged more than sixty (Hokko being 77 and Kakuzu being 87) but they still looked like they were young and both hated being reminded of their age.

The dinner didn't last long and each male went off to mind their own business. Kakuzu continued reading his book, Hokko sat on the veranda strumming his guitar, and Jito continued to monitor Herasagi's wellbeing. Nagayoshi was the only one who did not know what to do. But she did not have to worry for long.

Jito suddenly rushed out of Herasagi's room and called the three of them. "Obaachan," he stammered, "is awake." His announcement caused Nagayoshi to bolt immediately into her room. The rest followed her. Jito did not lie. When Nagayoshi arrived in her room, the old lady was trying to sit up.

"Obaachan!" Nagayoshi cried. She rushed inside and pulled her grandmother into a tight hug. Her brash act inflicted pain on her remaining injuries.

"Ow! Nagayoshi, please…you're hurting me," Herasagi squeaked. With guilt and joy, Nagayoshi let her go. Gently, she helped Herasagi lying down on her futon again. Herasagi sighed. "I can't even sit up. Now I'm really turning into a true old woman…"

"You _are_ an old woman, Obaachan," teased Jito as he came to sit beside Nagayoshi. He laughed when Herasagi pinched his arm with a force even a baby could handle.

"You shouldn't have done that, Obaachan. You shouldn't have pushed me away from the fight. I was about to protect myself and even come with a counterattack. Look what he's done to you now!" Nagayoshi said, regarding Herasagi's rashness in the battle that afternoon.

"Oh, Nagayoshi, maybe you're right," Herasagi said, "Maybe I shouldn't have done that. It's just…after so long…I…couldn't lose you. Not anymore. You're my Rishin's only daughter."

Nagayoshi's eyes turned somber. She asked, "Is my father still alive?"

"None of us knew what happened to him, sweetheart. Neither about your mother."

Nagayoshi's ears perked. She suddenly remembered their interrupted conversation regarding her mother. "My mother? What of my mother?" As she prepared herself to listen, Kakuzu and Hokko also opened their ears to catch any details about their youngest companion's parent.

"I didn't get to tell you this yesterday, did I? Your mother, Nagayoshi, no one knows about her. Not even your grandfather, your uncles and aunts, or even his friends. Rishin hid his relationship with her. God knows how long they have known each other. What we know is that he never told us anything about her and suddenly, you were born! After that, he confessed to me and your grandfather that he was married with a woman that was apparently also a kunoichi from Kirigakure. But that was all he told us." Jito helped Herasagi drink a glass of warm tea. She lied down again and continued, "Even in family reunions he never brought her with him. He only brought a two-week-old you once."

"Then what happened? How could we be lost?" Nagayoshi asked. Her fingers clutched the end of her white top and her eyes never for a second left Herasagi.

"Now that is the biggest mystery of all. A couple of days after he first brought you to the family reunion, suddenly, you two were gone for no apparent reason. We thought your father ran away with his wife and you, but if he were to elope, he could have done that earlier. And I knew something was up."

All the while, Kakuzu was silent and was listening intently. He was trying to analyze the situation. Then, he began, "When I found Nagayoshi, she never said anything about being raised by a man. It is possible that she was separated from her father early on in her life. Or, perhaps, he abandoned her for some reason. I hate to say it, but it's one possibility."

Hokko nodded in agreement. "Kakuzu-san's right. If she couldn't remember any man important to her when she was younger than six, then it's confirmed that he's gone before her mind can remember."

There was a silence. It was broken soon enough as Kakuzu came up with a question. "How does your son look like? I have experience locating people. I might be able to find your son."

Herasagi tried to nod, and then turned to her grandson. "Jito, you know which one. Take it, and give it to Kakuzu-san."

Jito nodded and headed to the drawer. Nagayoshi followed his movements and when she realized which photo Jito was taking, all blood vessels in her face burst. She scampered towards Jito, trying to get the photo and its frame from her cousin's hand. Jito, startled by her fluster, questioned, "What is wrong with you?"

"No, don't show it to them! Please, Jito! Don't!" Nagayoshi wailed. Jito noticed how red her face had become. Nevertheless, he would not succumb to Nagayoshi's childish pleading. He threw the photo to Kakuzu. Nagayoshi shouted in panic.

Much to her dismay, Kakuzu extended his tendrils to bring his hand closer to the falling photo and catch it before his sister did. Nagayoshi fell to her knees, her hands all over her face, embarrassed. "Seriously, what's the fuss all about?" Herasagi scolded her.

The two older men eyed the photo of a short-bearded man carrying an infant in a bundle, bearing a wide, proud smile of a new father. Hokko's eye and mouth extended as he laid eyes on baby Nagayoshi. Being a man who liked children, he just had to grin seeing an innocent and pure baby. Not to mention that the baby was very cute for his standards. He chortled. "Look at her! So cute! I just wanna pinch those chubby cheeks!" Hokko cooed like a woman would when she saw a cute baby. Unable to contain his fiery passion, he hooked Nagayoshi around her neck and pinched her cheeks, all the while flashing a very toothy grin. He disregarded the girl's pained squeaks.

Herasagi giggled looking at them, and then she returned to Kakuzu who was eyeing the photo still. "How is it? Have you seen him before, by any chance?" she asked. Deep in her chest, she was restraining her violent eagerness to fish out the answer from Kakuzu. She told herself to be patient.

"As a matter of fact, I have," Kakuzu answered. In that same second, every activity, every man-made sound, all stopped. Kakuzu moved on, "But it was a long time ago."

Herasagi's eyes widened. Her lips were shaking, so were her hands. Shakily, she reached for Kakuzu's Akatsuki cloak. Her breathing accelerated as she said, "Tell me. Tell me everything you know!"

**|-oOo-|**

_Just like Salty Dog Village recently, that day, around fifteen years ago, it was raining cats and dogs too. Kakuzu and his partner then, Ryouken's younger brother, Yauji, were on their way back from a two-week long mission. The duo was silent along the road. The older led the way and the younger obediently followed the older._

_Somewhere on the road, Yauji heard a shrill noise. Kakuzu heard it too, actually, but he did not want to care. Yauji, however, was driven by his curiosity. Amongst the carpet of tall reeds, the twenty-four-year-old saw a dark bulge. He could not see what it was exactly from afar; the thick curtain of rain did not help make his view any clearer. Thus, he went towards the bulge, regardless of Kakuzu warning him not to. As Yauji got closer, the noise became louder. The bulge was indeed the source of the noise._

_The water and mud got into his sandals, but Yauji disregarded the discomfort. He was now only a few footsteps away from the bulge, which turned out to be a man with his face into the mud. Yauji cautiously walked closer to the procumbent man, just in case it was an ambush from an unknown enemy. His last step splashed some water and mud on the man's black hair. Then his left ankle was caught by the man's calloused hand—gripping onto his ankle as if he was holding himself on a pole in a tornadic day._

_Yauji almost stabbed the man with his animalistic kekkei genkai out of surprise, but before he could act, the fingers loosened themselves and the man's arm limped to the mud. Yauji saw the man's palm was glowing with faint blue light before it finally faded as the man turned around with the last of his energy. Yauji now could see his face; the man had a beard and mustache covering only around his mouth and chin. There were cuts on his face and two of those cuts made him lose his right eye. His clothes had holes too. They came in many sizes and all of those holes were covered by blood._

_As the man turned around, he also revealed one more thing which he had guarded with his body from the rain or anything that might fall on it. That thing was a smaller human—as long as the man's forearms—and it was covered around a cloth. That little human—that baby—was the one who caused the noise. It was crying with all its fresh vocal chords' might. Its tears disappeared with the rain as its guardian exposed it to the open air at last._

_"P-p-please…" the man croaked with the remaining life he had, "please, take care of…my daughter…. I just want her…to be safe…." The man coughed blood. One drop smothered his daughter's smooth face. He gazed at the baby with his remaining left eye. "Take good care of yourself, my child…" he said. He put his hand on the baby's body and his palm glowed with chakra. The chakra just hovered around his hand, but then it all moved inside the baby. When his palm glowed no more, his muscles became static at the same time. His eye remained open, unblinking._

_Seeing the end of the man's fate, Kakuzu, who had been standing behind Yauji all this time, said, "There's nothing we can do. Come. We still have a long way to go." The masked man turned around and walked away. However, his young partner refused to move._

_"We can't leave her out here. Kakuzu-sama, her father specifically asked me to take care of her!" Yauji defied._

_Kakuzu sighed in annoyance. His young partner was an obedient man, he had to admit that, but he was still naive and more than enough, sometimes he showed himself to be too kind for a bloodthirsty homicidal killer who helped his pedophilic brother spread terror in their home village. The masked man turned back to his partner. "Yauji, seriously! This is not the right time for you to change occupation from an S-rank criminal into a babysitter! That thing will only burden us! I mean, look! Her father had been attacked! Who knows when his attacker will come tracking this baby and kill her!"_

_"That is exactly why I'm taking her with me! Her life is in peril and I know exactly how that felt: to be so small, so weak, and so powerless to defend myself. I don't want this child to suffer the same thing," Yauji continued to defy his senior._

_"Gah, for crying out loud! Think clearly, young man! With us, that kid's fate will only be worse than her father's! I don't know, maybe Zetsu will find her quite tasty or your brother will help you raise her only to demoralize her when she's older. We can't keep her, get it? Now leave her where you found her." This time, Kakuzu will not give a damn anymore. If he had to leave Yauji out there alone, then he will. A few steps afterwards, Yauji spoke again, although he submitted to Kakuzu's orders._

_"At least, let me take her somewhere safer. Far from here. After that, I will leave her, not even talk about her," Yauji said, picking up the baby._

_Kakuzu sighed again. He did not look back. "Go ahead. And I prefer if you truly keep your words."_

_Yauji nodded. "I will." He covered his arms, shoulders, and chest with animal fur, in his case, bull fur. His animalistic kekkei genkai let him grow animal features on his body and even turn himself entirely into a man-animal creature. Other than for fighting purposes, the fur was also capable of masking signals of existence or chakra. If it was true that the infant was being after by someone, it would be best that he mask her existence._

_They walked for miles, enduring hard rain which now had come with repeated claps of thunder and lightning flashing here and there. Yauji continued to guard the infant with his arms. The infant had stopped crying ever since he started carrying her. She seemed to feel cozy and warm in his currently furry arms. Yauji smiled at the infant. If only he could take care of her…_

_"Here, Yauji," Kakuzu said suddenly. Yauji looked up to see his partner, wondering what he wanted to say. "We've walked far enough. I guess it's safe enough for you to leave her. There," Kakuzu pointed a dead tree with a large hollow on its trunk, "you can leave her there."_

_Yauji sighed with a heavy heart. He nodded and went to tree pointed by Kakuzu. Carefully, Yauji put the infant inside the tree hollow. He grimaced looking at the temporary shelter for the baby. From normal rain, it was quite safe, but when there was hard wind, the rain may be blown into the hollow. Nevertheless, he left her there despite the howling of his soul. He sighed as he walked back towards Kakuzu. "I wonder if I'll ever see her again…" he wondered aloud._

_"Who knows," said Kakuzu. "Maybe our fates will cross in the future." The duo resumed walking back to the headquarters. Yauji stopped to look back. His feet wanted to go back and take the baby with him, but his mind told him to let go. Yauji trusted his mind._

**|-oOo-|**

Herasagi covered her eyes with her arm. The room once again fell into silence. Learning the bitter truth that her years-long search for her son was for nothing was not easy. Nagayoshi's tongue was adhered to the bottom of her oral cavity. She also learned a new truth. Not only about her father, but about her previous encounter with the man who was now the only person she could call as parent.

At which point, Jito suddenly broke the silence. "You said…Rishin-san's hand was glowing for a while, right?" he asked Kakuzu while holding his chin with one hand.

Kakuzu nodded, confirming Jito's guess.

The young man's eyes widened. "So, then—"

"Yes, Jito. He used the jutsu he and your father developed when they were about your age," Herasagi cut in. Much to everybody's surprise, she did not choose to use the moment to mourn over her son. Even though one could see her eyes were moistened, but Herasagi's voice was unshaken.

"You knew, Obaachan?"

"Of course! It doesn't take a genius to figure it out!"

Nagayoshi looked from Herasagi to Jito and back. She asked, "What's this jutsu you guys are talking about?"

"It's the Elemental Marking Jutsu," Herasagi said. "Rishin and Rihara always did everything together, even when creating their own jutsu. Being skilled in tracking, both of them, they created a jutsu where they could trace a person's track that has already been 'marked' by them. The concept is just like animal marking their territory; only they didn't use urine to get the jutsu done. They used their chakra signals and elemental aspects of humans. The jutsu works with the user implanting their mark on another person. When the other person leaves the user far away, an invisible link is made between them. When the user finally finds the marked person, the link will break, returning everything to normal.

"The link can last for years, as long as both parties are still alive. The link feeds on energy that is naturally present around our body. In Rishin's case, since his chakra element is lightning—like you, Nagayoshi—the link he creates will feed on the electromagnetic pulse the person generates. If water, like Rihara, the link will feed on the water that is contained in the person's body, since most of our bodies contain water. It may also feed on the air we breathe, our body heat, and the dust and dirt that came in touch with our body."

"But, wait a minute," Kakuzu interrupted, "I notice that before he died, he implanted the base mark on Yauji before giving the other end to Nagayoshi. But Yauji is dead now. The link must be broken."

"First, let me tell you this: the link is invisible to all senses, unless you are trained to its usage. Rishin and Rihara once tried to test it on people that are not informed of their new jutsu and people often said that they were driven by instinct to the location of the marked one. The jutsu may lead your way through your subconscious. And to answer your question, I have to ask, who was the last person your dead partner touched?"

"It was me," Kakuzu said. And everything landed with a boom, shaking Kakuzu's head. "You mean…when Yauji died, the base link found its way to survive by feeding on my EMP? So I became the base for the link?"

Herasagi smiled a small one and nodded. "Your fates are meant to cross."

Kakuzu, for once, was lost for words. The chain of events that happened in his life was driven by a man's wish. His decision to isolate himself after the death of Yauji and the tension between him and Ryouken, his turning to that primitive poverty-stricken village, his wallet being stolen by a little street rat girl who became his adoptive sister, despite the 72-year age gap, was all driven by the wish of a dying father, wanting his little girl to grow up with a decent man. It was supposed to be Yauji, if only he did not die. Yauji was more suitable to be a parent, anyway. Unlike Kakuzu, Yauji was less violent in teaching and did not have deathly temper issues. Yet, he could not change the past.

Kakuzu turned to the now 15-year-old young woman. She was smiling at him, and he stared at her blankly, still lost in his shock. "Now that you know that we're meant to be, Oniisan," Nagayoshi said, snapping Kakuzu back to reality again, "are you still considering letting me stay here for the rest of my life?"

Kakuzu blinked for a second. Then he smirked, a soft chuckled came from his mouth as he ruffled Nagayoshi's thick black hair. "Alright, you do whatever you want, kid," he said. "You still have a mother to find, right?"

It was Nagayoshi's turn to look surprised. She then smiled and nodded.

**|-oOo-|**

It hurt Herasagi to see her long-lost granddaughter leave her home and continue living like she always did. However, it was not up to her to determine the girl's choice. To Nagayoshi, Kakuzu and the rest of the Akatsuki were just as important to her as her biological family. Not all of them were close to her, but that would be normal. Even in normal families, not all family members like each other. There must be at least a pair of them who just can't get along no matter how they try.

Nagayoshi departed wearing Herasagi's clothes when she was young. She reminded the old woman a little of herself when she was young; so eager to explore the world. She almost could not contain herself.

All the straps of her sandals buckled, Nagayoshi turned one last time before she left her grandmother and her cousin. They hugged together. One of Herasagi's regulars saw the scene and sniffled.

"Get recovered soon, Obaachan," Nagayoshi said to her grandmother.

"Come and visit us when you get the chance. But try not to enter the shop and the house with a opened wound next time, if you can."

Nagayoshi giggled. "I'll try."

"I'll send you a message from time to time with the messenger stork," Jito said.

"There's a messenger stork? How come I've never seen it before?" asked Nagayoshi.

"He doesn't nest on top of the roof. He's a stork; he lives in the marsh not far from here."

The Akatsuki group began to move and Nagayoshi hurried to follow them. She waved at them, saying, "Bye, Obaachan! Bye, Jito!"

Both Herasagi and Jito waved back. Jito cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Remember, you're part of the Kandori family now!"

Nagayoshi's heart skipped a beat. In her near four weeks of living with them, she never learned of their surname. She forgot to ask it, since she was so used to people telling their first names immediately, plus, events that happened kept holding her back from asking. But now she knew their surname, her father's surname—her surname. She felt like being reborn. Then, she was just Nagayoshi. Now, she was Kandori Nagayoshi.

* * *

**It feels so nice to see this arc closes. Now my next highly-anticipated arc to write is the part where Nagayoshi…oh, never mind that! I'm so glad to have been able to show Yauji's personality, even if it's just a little. In my mind, he's a pretty sweet guy, despite what he did. In the next chapter, we're going to enter a 'break chapter'. It's like a filler, but still quite important to the storyline. After that, we'll move on to a new arc that may spike the rating of this story from T to M. In the mean time, toodles!**


	20. Indistinct Sentiments

**Chapter 20: Indistinct Sentiments**

* * *

Kisame blinked numerous times. Before him, there was already someone else in front of the tomb of his old friend. Much to his surprise, it was the girl his old friend loved before he died. A former Akatsuki member, the one before Deidara, Erai was his name, died while trying to rescue Nagayoshi from the hands of his foes. Erai may not have told anybody about his affection towards Nagayoshi, but those closest to him could tell. Kisame knew about it, and probably Erai realized that too.

Nagayoshi turned around after she finished praying. Upon seeing the face of another visitor, she smiled, greeting him with warmth amidst the cold middle of winter. "You're back, Kisame!" she chirped.

Kisame smiled back. "Yeah, I just got here last night. Wanted to check you out but you were already fast asleep."

"You've been gone for so long! We haven't met since around October. You were not even there after I finally returned from being lost." said Nagayoshi, standing and facing fully at Kisame.

Kisame rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know. It was a nasty long mission and it wasn't easy too. The mission is best for Kakuzu who is an expert in finding people. Itachi-san and I are slow in this kind of mission; so slow that it took us almost two months to complete this mission," he said. "Luckily, we get it done just in time before the winter break."

Nagayoshi smiled small. She glanced to the simple tombstone behind her. "Right in time to commemorate him," she murmured.

Kisame took note on Nagayoshi's facial expression. Unlike what he expected, Nagayoshi's smile was not of sadness or longing. She stared at the tombstone just like how she stared the small man buried beneath it. Kisame was truly surprised to see the progress. She remembered what a miserable creature she was not long after Erai died. At the same time, there was another change too. This Kisame had the foggiest clue. Curious, he asked, "Did I miss anything while you were gone?" He put a hand on Nagayoshi's shoulder, ushering her as he continued, "I believe there's a lot that you wanted to tell me."

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi did not hold herself from storytelling about her stay in Salty Dog Village (Kisame had a three-minute worth of laughter) and how she found out that the two people living in the shop were her biological grandmother and cousin. She also told him about her father and all the chain reactions that lead her to the day in which she was walking. She also told him about the letter Jito wrote to her a week after her return to Akatsuki. It was said that Yabuo, the mugger with pirate heritage, admitted submission to Herasagi and the rest of her family and volunteered to replace Nagayoshi's position in the shop. He had a rough start, since the customers still distrusted him, especially after what he had done. However, he started to gain respect. Nagayoshi expressed her curiosity, saying she would like to go to Salty Dog, maybe near the end of the winter break.

There, Kisame saw the sources of her change he saw earlier. To him, the image of the bouncy little sister in her had diminished. Nagayoshi was still talkative, but it was just not the same. Maybe it was because she was growing taller. She was just fifteen, after all.

"You've grown so much in just two months," said Kisame, patting Nagayoshi on the head. "I almost don't recognize you anymore."

"Then shouldn't we reconnect our bonds?" asked Nagayoshi with a soft smile.

Kisame smirked. Then he said, "If you have a family in that village, why bother coming back here? Did Kakuzu want you to come back?" He turned his head to the girl and was surprised that her soft smile had turned sour. He wondered if he had said something wrong.

"No," Nagayoshi replied, "in fact, he wanted me to stay there. But then, I learned new truths and found a new objective to do."

Kisame waited. He knew Nagayoshi was not finished.

"I have to find the woman who gave birth to me," she finally said. There was more weight in her voice now, and her eyes, gazing upon the white horizon, became harder with determination. "And find out what caused my father's death, and the darkness behind my birth. There are so many things I want to know about myself, more than I want to know about my brother. Or about you." She glanced at her old friend, still with those hard obsidian eyes.

Again, Kisame was dumbfounded. Indeed, the little girl he once knew was slowly, but surely, transforming. Her hatchling feathers began to leave her body and her adult, coarser feathers replaced the missing patches. The chirpy hatchling started to produce less jingles. All she produced were arias, accompanied by her churning heartfelt emotions. Like a bird whose wings were not ready but wanted to fly anyway…and die….

Kisame grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to his broad muscular chest. Nagayoshi rendered speechless. Yet, she felt warm—probably because of Kisame's body heat. She gave into the warmth, but still couldn't help but wonder the purpose of the act. To her, Kisame's feelings were harder to read than Kakuzu's. Perhaps, it was because she spent more time with the masked man than the blue-skinned man (pretty obvious). She was puzzled again this time, especially since her ears caught poundings. They were uneven, haphazard. They were fast and violent.

"Sorry," the man said. His high-noted voice disrupted the poundings Nagayoshi heard earlier. Now they became more organized. "You looked like you were going to fall, so I had to catch you before you do. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Nagayoshi tried to shake her head, but it was almost impossible to do so while the side of her head was pressing against his chest. Still, she managed to voice her disagreement. "It's fine, Kisame. In fact, I could use some warmth right now. This year's winter is killing me," she replied. "By the way, thanks. I wasn't going to fall, but thanks for being concerned about me. I never knew how much I really mean to you."

The poundings were back, but they were slower this time. At the same time, Kisame stiffened. Kisame then pushed Nagayoshi from the hug. The girl blinked in confusion. She craned her neck up to look at Kisame's face, but he turned his back on her.

"Kisame…?" Nagayoshi asked.

"I'm sorry, Nagayoshi," Kisame said, not turning his face to her. Then he leapt, leaving the fifteen-year-old behind in perplexity. Nagayoshi ran to catch up to him, but he was moving too fast. She could have followed him easily, since speed was practically her middle name. But one thing bothered her mind; it stopped her feet from going after the swordsman. Why did he call her name like that? What's with the trembling in his voice?

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi wandered around the woods, not sure of what to do next. Kisame acted so strangely, she couldn't get his actions off her head. What could have caused him to do such a thing? Was it something she said? He sounded offended, but what would "how much I really mean to you" do to hurt him? That didn't change Nagayoshi's thought that she had offended the blue-skinned man in some way.

"You're late," said a male's voice. Nagayoshi jumped in surprise; resembling Jito at that moment. She didn't expect Kakuzu to appear suddenly. However, his annoyed face showed another different issue. Nagayoshi blinked. Kakuzu grumbled. "Stop staring at me with those idiotic looking eyes! You said you want to spar after you visit Erai's grave!"

"Now, now, Kakuzu-san," Hokko slipped in, trying to fan out Kakuzu's boiling blood. Well, who wouldn't boil when they had to wait for over an hour without notice? "I'm pretty sure Nagayoshi-chan was still in an emotional state. Right, Nagayoshi-chan?" Hokko turned to the girl, bearing his wide toothy smile.

"Did I really say anything about sparring?" Nagayoshi asked. She gulped when she saw Hokko buried his face in one of his hands. Before long, Kakuzu's fist plunged onto the top of her head. "OW! Alright, alright! I admit I'd forgotten! Sorry!" Nagayoshi yelped, holding her head where a red bump rose to existence. She winced as the pain on the top of her head stung. "Man, you never hold back, don't you?"

"You didn't look to well just now," said Kakuzu. His hands were on his hips as he remarked on his sister.

"Well, duh! You hit me!" Nagayoshi snapped, padding her aching head with a handful of snow. "Well, then, let's start sparring. And I'll make sure I'll get you back on the head!" Nagayoshi punched her fist to her other hand as she prepared her mental to defeat Kakuzu.

Although covered by his mask, Kakuzu smirked, accepting the challenge. He prepared his fighting stance and Hokko prepared his beside the masked man. "Make that the two of us!" he said, stretching out one of his whips.

"Hey! That's unf—aah!" Before Nagayoshi could sound her protest, Kakuzu had begun the fight without a signal; he sent a rocketing punch to Nagayoshi, which was successfully evaded. Nagayoshi hopped back, but she was still unprepared for the combat and Hokko had prepared a set of hand seals. He threw fire spheres from his mouth, forcing the girl to run away again. However, she couldn't get away far.

Kakuzu appeared before her; the skin of his arm darkened. Out of spontaneity, Nagayoshi made a lightning hummingbird from her bare hands and tossed it to Kakuzu. Kakuzu swatted the small bird, but the bird dispersed and attacked his body with an electric shock. He grunted as he tried to withstand the shock. His loss of focus let Nagayoshi escape from him and his partner.

Nagayoshi tried to control her breathing as she hid among the leafless trees. It was good for her to be wearing her white winter coat. It made her blend easily in the snowy area. She pulled up the hood of the coat, covering her black hair. She looked around, making sure neither Kakuzu nor Hokko were in range. When she couldn't sense them anywhere, she leaned her back against the trunk of the tree. She sighed. _What's with those two?_ she wondered in her head. _They're merciless! They didn't even give me time to prepare!_

As she was hiding, her mind spaced out, again arriving on the matter regarding Kisame. The same questions haunted her again. His posture looked like a person who had just regretted his own doing. Could it be? He regretted for having hugged her? But that wasn't the first time he hugged her; when Nagayoshi was younger, they hugged a lot too. Why should that one be different?

Nagayoshi recalled the moment again. She dived into the memory, into the sentiments of the memory. When she focused solely on that part, she realized it did feel different in some way. She remembered the warmth, soothing her ears and thawed the ice that may have frozen the blood vessels there. She then remembered the pounding sound she heard while being hugged. The pattern of the beat was unsure, like a child learning how to play the drum for the first time and constantly hitting the bass drum near the foot. Nagayoshi guessed where the poundings might come from, but she didn't dare to make it a call just yet.

And then Kisame pushed her off from the hug and hid his face by turning away from her. She didn't know why he pushed him and what kind of face was he making. She tried to amuse herself by imagining the expression he could have made that time. She knew his head was lowered, so his eyes might be seeing the ground. They could be half-lidded—totally half-lidded—and have a sullen air in them. The eyebrows would be weighing his eyelids down. His mouth would be opened very slightly, showing only five percent of his sharp teeth. From inside his oral cavity, hot carbon dioxide puffed, creating a tiny cloud of mist that quickly disappeared in the chilly winter air. She heard his voice was trembling when he apologized to her, so his breathing must be as patternless as the poundings. The poundings…that came from underneath his broad, muscular chest…

Nagayoshi stopped breathing.

A line of orange streaked across in front of her. By the time Nagayoshi snapped out of her trance, the orange streak had multiplied and tightened around her body. Nagayoshi was too late to escape, both from Hokko's orange whip and from the upcoming stone hand pierce, a special move from Kakuzu. Kakuzu aimed his stone-hard hand to her forehead. Nagayoshi stared at the hand with wide eyes as it approached her with a speed a normal person's eyes would have had difficulty following and, much to her surprise, at the last second, Kakuzu turned his hand back into skin and flesh, and flicked her forehead.

Hokko's orange whip loosened, setting her free while her mind was still loading to process what had just happened. She was sometimes a slow thinker, but that time, she was ten times slower than normal.

"You did terrible today," Kakuzu remarked, not hiding a single disappointment in his voice. Even his jade eyes were scornful.

"Sorry, Oniisan," said Nagayoshi, almost with no spirit in her voice. "I guess I'm not a sparring mood today."

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright, Nagayoshi?" he asked.

Nagayoshi looked up to her brother and forced a smile. "I'm not sick or anything, it's okay! Maybe Hokko-san was right; maybe I am in an emotional state right now."

Kakuzu stared at her with his jade eyes. Nagayoshi kept on forcing a smile to him, but the masked man didn't buy it. He put his hand on one of her shoulders. "You know you can tell me if you have a problem. It's not like I'm going to spread it to anybody."

Nagayoshi smiled, but this one was more sincere than the previous. "I know, Oniisan. But I'm not really having a problem right now. Just a little bit emotional, like I said before. I'll return normal tomorrow, you'll just see." She turned and prepared to leap off. "I'll see you at the base, Oniisan, Hokko-san!" And she went off, leaping from tree to tree and then to the ground.

Both Hokko dan Kakuzu hopped down from the tree which they caught Nagayoshi on earlier. Kakuzu didn't let his eyes off his departing sister. Nagayoshi may have said she had no problem, but Kakuzu's guardian senses told him a different story. His line of thought was disrupted when Hokko put his arm around his neck.

"Nah, leave the gal be, Kakuzu-san. How about we go drinkin' at the bar in the village? Dun worry, I'll pay for ya," Hokko persuaded. Kakuzu glanced at his partner from the corner of his eyes. Silly he may be, but most of the time he had proven himself to be quite knowledgeable.

"Fine," Kakuzu said, pushing the arm off his neck. The two men walked towards the village of Amegakure that was probably covered by snow as high as twelve inches.

**|-oOo-|**

That night, after thinking it over and over, Nagayoshi encouraged herself to come to Kisame's room and ask what was on her mind. She was not really sure of what she was really thinking, to be honest, but she could at least ask half of the part that might be easier to get an answer to. So, like a police officer, she knocked on Kisame's door—the one with the Kanji 'south' on it—hard and short. Her feet fiddled as she waited for the inhabitant of the room to come out. Thirty seconds had passed and the door was not yet opened. Nagayoshi thought maybe Kisame had gone to the village, having a drink she was not yet allowed to taste.

When she was about to give up and turn around, leaving the room's entrance, it opened. Kisame stepped out of his Zen, wearing a black turtle-necked sweater that hugged his body contours. On his face, he bore the expression close to what Nagayoshi had imagined earlier that day. The only difference was that his mouth was not five percent open, it was closed completely and almost frowning. The two close friends stared at each other for a few seconds, speaking nothing.

"Have you been inside all this time?" Nagayoshi began. It just came out of her mouth. She didn't remember giving those words her consent to spurt like that.

Kisame turned his head to glance at his room before turning back to Nagayoshi. "Yeah, I have," he said.

Nagayoshi wanted to ask what had he been doing inside his room, but in order to prevent an unpermitted question again, she chose her words carefully this time. "Look," she began, "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings this afternoon. I just said what I feel like saying, but I wasn't thinking, really."

Honesty. Pure honesty that was.

Kisame was taken aback by her straightforward apology. He stammered, right in front of his room. "Wait, wait," he said, trying to re-control his voice. "What are you talking about? Hurt my feelings? What—what are you…" Then he remembered what she had said to her and what he had done to her afterwards. Recalling that, he was surged with embarrassment and he laughed at it. "Oh, that one," he chuckled.

Kisame pressed his big blue hand on top of Nagayoshi's head, but the girl recoiled and winced. He pulled his hand away in surprise, thinking that now he was the one hurting her. Nagayoshi laughed painfully and said, "No, no, it's fine. Kakuzu-niisan hit me right there earlier today. Ironic, huh, that even I can still feel pain from a small bump?"

Kisame's chuckle grew and he put his hand on top of her head again, gently this time. He leaned against the door frame. "I'm the one who's supposed to be sorry," he said, returning to the previous topic. Nagayoshi craned her neck to get a better look at his face, high up above her. "You were just saying a nice thing to me, but then I treated you as if you had just insulted me—which you didn't. In fact, I should be thanking you for saying such a kind thing to me." The tall blue man smiled.

"Haven't anyone said something like that to you before?" Nagayoshi asked.

"Well, there was another person who said that before you, but that person was long gone. I wasn't sure if you've born yet," Kisame answered.

"Your parent?"

"Well, no exactly. But you can say so, in terms of raising and nurturing." Kisame diverted his gaze to an area behind Nagayoshi's head, a little bit closer to the ceiling. He seemed to be seeing another dimension beyond and not the ceiling itself. "That person's said a lot of praises and encouragements to me, things that kept me powered up despite the hard life I was going through. Being a student during the time when Kirigakure was still called 'Bloody Mist' wasn't easy, you know. If it weren't for those kind words, I could have died rotting in the field of the academy. Most of the time, I miss that voice, the words coming out of that voice. I don't know how many years has it been since death took that person away…"

Unknowingly, tears had been welling up in Nagayoshi's eyes. She realized their existence before they had the chance to fall and wiped them off. Kisame noticed her wiping her welled up tears and ruffled her thick black hair.

"Sorry. Now my detail-lacking background story is making you cry. I must be one heck of a bad guy," he said.

"No," Nagayoshi squeaked, "your story is truly touching, even though you're not telling in complete details. I guess it's just me being such a crybaby."

Kisame thought for a while, leaving enough time for Nagayoshi to regain her inner strength to hold down the tears. "How about," Kisame said, removing his hand from her head and move down to her hand, "tomorrow we go out to the town and dine together? You know, like we used to do, only without Erai this time."

Nagayoshi's tears stopped all of a sudden, as she stared at the blue-skinned man who was now grinning. She glanced to his hand that was holding hers. Kisame seemed to have changed again, but this Kisame was the one she knew the first time.

Nagayoshi nodded slowly, still puzzled with Kisame's change of personality. The blue-skinned man laughed in glee. "Alright! I'll see you tomorrow, Nagayoshi!"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Nagayoshi said. She turned away, leaving the front of Kisame's room and return to her room, which was just one door to the right. As she was walking, she still had no idea what was going on. If her thinking capability before had decelerated tenfold, it seemed that it had decreased another tenfold.

Dumber or not, Nagayoshi's view on Kisame had changed, most possibly permanently.

* * *

**Sorry for the tardiness! Midterms are almost here, for me at least. I finished this chapter after I've done doing a prose analysis paper and it was not even the last one. There is still one video to make and another two papers. Busy, busy, busy! I must be bad-ass/stupid/dedicated enough to finish writing a chapter in the middle of this busy month. Hope you like the chapter! Next, we move on to a new arc! Yay! :D**


	21. The Effortless Infiltration

**Chapter 21: The Effortless Infiltration**

* * *

It had been one year and a month since we last saw the Akatsuki. Yes, now Nagayoshi was sixteen years of age. She had grown another centimeter, making her current height at 164 centimeters. Every day, the young girl had grown more mature, transforming slowly into a woman. She had become more patient and stealthier, aiding her brother a lot during missions. She also had perfected her stealth attacks, like the lightning needle. However, she still retained some of her old traits from the early childhood.

She still thought that a day without an apple is starvation, two days without one is a crisis, and three days or more without an apple is apocalypse. She and Kakuzu still argued, anywhere, anytime. Since she had gotten older, her experience had increased as well. As a result, she became more proficient in arguing with Kakuzu. Sometimes even defeated him. But, all in all, she had become more and more like a partner-in-crime to Kakuzu, more than Hokko was.

She, Kakuzu and Hokko made visits to Salty Dog Village from time to time when they either passed that village or had enough free time to at least make one day two-way trip. One day during the summer, Herasagi insisted to take a family picture using her youngest son's camera—the large, square camera with a black cape to cover the photographer and flash from flammable powder. They took two pictures: one was the Kandori family who lived at the shop; the other was the adoptive siblings. Kakuzu initially rejected the offer, but soon succumbed to his sister's pleas. In the picture, while Nagayoshi was facing the camera with a wide smile, Kakuzu looked sideways in discomfort.

In spite of the masked man's pose, that one picture was the only proof that he and Nagayoshi were together as a tight combo of siblings chosen by fate.

**|-oOo-|**

The day after the winter break began and immediately, all team members of Akatsuki were given a mission to start their year. As usual, Nagayoshi was the only one not permitted to enter the office for reasons unknown. However, she obeyed Kakuzu, packed her stuffs and waited outside the secret entrance of the base. Sasori and Deidara were the first duo to exit the base. Nagayoshi and Deidara said their farewells, before Deidara mounted his clay owl and took off. Itachi and Kisame came out next. This time, the farewells went longer than the previous.

"Kakuzu and Hokko-san are still inside. You sure don't wanna tag along with us instead? It's been a long time since we had a mission together," Kisame said out of whim.

"Nah, I'll be a burden. And I'm pretty sure Itachi won't appreciate a drawback like me. That and my brother'd object about it too," Nagayoshi answered. She smiled coolly.

Kisame smirked. "Don't give me that bullshit. Hokko told me about how you fought your enemies in your last missions before the break. I'm pretty sure you'll be more of a help than a burden now."

Nagayoshi chuckled. "Maybe, but I still don't like seeing dismembered bodies. Some puncture holes are still okay, though, but not scattered body parts," she said.

"Fine," Kisame replied, a little bit disappointed that his kind offer was rejected. "Then spar with me when we meet again."

"Kisame, time's up. I'm going," Itachi called from afar.

"Alright, I accept your challenge, Hoshigaki-san," Nagayoshi said. She smirked again, showing him her game face.

Kisame returned her expression with the same one. The two close friends high-fived. "Great! Now don't you get badly injured. I don't want to fight with someone unfit." He closed his fingers while Nagayoshi's hand was still in contact with his palm. They looked at each other in silence, but it was quickly dismissed. Kisame turned around; his hand no longer grasping Nagayoshi's. He turned his head back, and with a smile, he said, "See you again, Kandori-san. That's your name, right?"

Nagayoshi nodded while her eyes were wide in daze. Kisame waved at her and caught up with his partner in a flicker. Nagayoshi watched them walking side by side until they disappeared amidst the woods. Then, all of a sudden, she dropped to her knees, a series of indescribable sound spurted from her mouth. The veins in her face popped. She looked at her hand she used to high-five the blue swordsman. And another weird noise came from her again.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kakuzu's voice asked. Nagayoshi whizzed her head up and was surprised to see him standing right beside her.

"O-Oniisan?" she screeched. She scrambled to stand up, straight, like a soldier during a tough drill. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just now actually. Now, answer my question. What are you doing? You sound like a goat sinking in a mud bath." Kakuzu crossed his arms interrogatively. One foot tapping the ground.

"W-well…Kisame and Itachi had just left, that's all," Nagayoshi said, regaining her composure. "We promised to spar once we get back."

The two men just stared at Nagayoshi, one with an unreadable look, the other was grinning like a horse neighing. Soon, from grinning, Hokko giggled mischievously. "Sparrin', eh? I betcha he has another thing in mind. Or maybe you have," he said.

"I'm not thinking of anything!" Nagayoshi snapped. "Don't compare me with you guys! I'm not a pervert!"

"Who are you calling pervert?" Kakuzu growled. "This drover is, but I'm not. Should we ever be in a strip club, he'd be the one to stare at the stripper's body parts and I'd be ogling with grief at the money slipped in her thongs, tainted and impure…" Kakuzu's words trailed as he continued to walk. A trace of contempt flashed in his eyes from his previous talk. His two companions followed him suit. Kakuzu handed the files of his current mission to Nagayoshi, who read it as they accelerated their speed.

This mission was stranger. Nagayoshi noticed it immediately when she saw that there was not any photo of their target attached. Even the bio was incomplete. In fact, of all mission files Kakuzu had received, this was the thinnest. The other would at least have three sheets of paper, explaining the general bio, abilities, and the mission. This time, it only had two sheets. The first one was the bio, mainly consisted of 'Unknown' or 'N/A' and the target's supposedly name, 'Drosera'. The most written part was only the target's achievements (conquered almost a hundred large towns that were run by the yakuzas, having all the bosses succumb to its power and told the bosses to kill each other in a bloody gladiator). Otherwise, everything was incognito, even the gender, age, and body height and weight.

Nagayoshi flipped to the second sheet. It wasn't even half-filled. It could have been written on a space below the bio. Nagayoshi read it quickly as she saw Kakuzu and Hokko taking a leap into the treetops, initiating their ninja-style speed travel. The mission sheet said, "Investigate this person named Drosera. Find out who it really is and its purpose conquering other municipality. Should it pose any danger to Akatsuki and its cause: KILL IT A.S.A.P."

It made her quiver to see how serious Pain was dealing with threats. She had always known Pain was a no-bullshit type of guy; however, to be able to make such orders so easily…it terrified her more and more of him.

"You know where we're goin'?" asked Hokko to Kakuzu. Nagayoshi caught up to the two men to listen what her brother had to say.

"Southwest," Kakuzu answered. "That is where I last heard of yakuza subjugation. It's a long journey, around two days with our current speed, including a few hours of rest. I'd like to use that chance to contact my associates in nearby towns. Apparently, quite most of the yakuza this Drosera defeated are in the bingo book. Of course, the bounty hunter society is aware of it."

"So it's quite a threat to your business too, eh, Oniisan?" Nagayoshi remarked. Kakuzu didn't answer, but she knew she was right. Money is what keeps Kakuzu's world turning.

**|-oOo-|**

The trio stayed in Kakuzu's associate's house, only a few hundred kilometers from the designated town. They continued their journey in the afternoon and arrived at location by near evening. They decided to wait until dark, when the town's activity slowed down.

Kakuzu's intel from the last town gave him the coordinates of the possible shelter taken by Drosera. When night finally came, the three of them initiated their mission. They expected some level of security, but there was no one waiting at the front door. Nagayoshi checked around the building—a large old-fashioned, castle-like house, house with a huge garden—and reported that there was no one guarding the back of the house.

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed in suspicion. For a powerful conqueror like Drosera, to have a zero-protection fortress sounded unlikely. Kakuzu then told Nagayoshi to test the garden, see if it were booby trapped. Nagayoshi nodded and spawned a hummingbird from her hands. She sent the artificial avian into the garden, and dispersed its electrical body into large lightning needles that stabbed the ground for five meters radius.

No reaction.

Still unsure, this time, Kakuzu went in himself. He refused to use a clone, thinking that Drosera had thought it through that an assassin might come in first as a clone and dismantled all traps in the building before letting the real person go for the kill. He walked into the front garden, stealthily looking around to look out for traps. He walked until he was past five meters Nagayoshi tested earlier. And he was unscathed. With a gesture of his head, he told Nagayoshi to do another thing of her specialty.

Nagayoshi nodded in obedience. She put her hands on an electric post and sucked all of the electricity from the whole district, blending them with her chakra, and stored them. Hokko used his orange whip, which glowed, to light up their way in the pitch dark district into the garden.

Even with the low light, Nagayoshi could see a bunch of weird looking plants growing on the garden soil. The plants were basically had long stems which curled inside the further they grew. The inner side of the stems contained small pricks with shiny dews on the end. They were sundews. And the garden happened to be teeming with them.

The building had three floors. They checked every room in every floor, only to find every one of them were empty. That was, until they arrived at the last room two hours later. It was on third floor and on the center back of the building. A typical location of 'The Boss's Room'. Nagayoshi's EMP sensor confirmed existence of life form from inside the room.

Kakuzu put his fingers in the door's slide bar, and with determination, he spread his arms wide, opening the sliding door. Hokko held up his glowing whip and illuminated the room. The light of the whip was limited; it couldn't reach the end of the room. However, a person came closer towards the light. A man of about the same size as Kakuzu and Hokko stepped forward. His eyes were glowing with menace.

"Stay away," the man growled.

"Are you the one named Drosera?" Kakuzu asked.

"Drosera is undefeatable! I will not lose!" The man charged at Kakuzu with brass knuckles equipped. With ease, Kakuzu held the punch and kicked the man to the back of the room and through into the next one. Kakuzu hounded the man and they fought hand-to-hand.

At another crash, Hokko's ears caught another voice from inside the room, but the light from his whip could not reach whatever else was inside the room. "Someone else's in there! I gotta check it out." The cowboy disappeared into the darkness, leaving the girl alone.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" Nagayoshi sighed. She could hear punches from the other room. Apparently, the man Kakuzu was fighting against was quite durable. He didn't seem strong. She was expecting to see flashes of chakra light, but nothing happened. There were just grunts and guttural shouts of men making an attack.

A few seconds later, the noises died down in a flick of a finger. Suddenly, everything went as quiet as the vacuum space. Kakuzu appeared into the moonlight, outside the room. One of his hands was covered in fresh blood. "That wasn't so hard," he remarked. "I thought he'd be a lot more troublesome, but he even didn't use a single jutsu—or couldn't do so…"

Nagayoshi blinked. She watched as Kakuzu looked back to his previous fight site with eyes that looked unsure. She grasped his arm. "What is it, Oniisan?"

"Something doesn't feel right…" he muttered. "Defeating him without using any of my abilities…it's too easy." There was a pause. Kakuzu half-looked to the back again. Then he turned again to Nagayoshi, a hand opened. "Give me the portable camera my intel lent. I need a proof of the true face of Drosera, even though I failed to learn his name."

Nagayoshi put her bag down. It landed with bump. The camera was easily retrieved from the bag, as its size stood out from all other stuffs Nagayoshi packed into the bag. It was like a box, only it was made of leather. It was like the camera used to snap their last family photo, sans the tripod. And it was lighter—weighed around a kilogram. Nagayoshi handed the camera to Kakuzu after unfolding the leather bellows.

Kakuzu returned to where he last left the body. Nagayoshi came with him this time. He needed her to make a bright light since the camera was not equipped with a flash. He took a few snaps from different angles. When he was finished, he realized he was missing someone.

"Where did that cow herder go?" Kakuzu asked.

"He went to chase someone else when you were fighting this guy," Nagayoshi answered, storing the camera back into her bag. "Haven't seen him since." She stood, and the brother and sister looked at each other. The youngest showed concern. "Shouldn't we be checking him? I haven't heard a sound from him, and you know it never means good when he's silent."

Kakuzu nodded. "Agreed. Come on." The two of them immediately retraced the steps Hokko might take when he was going after the other person. Nagayoshi tried calling first, before finally decided to use her electromagnetic sensors to feel around the perimeter. It didn't take long until she felt Hokko's chakra through the EMP pulse.

Kakuzu and Nagayoshi walked closer towards their missing companion. He had extinguished the light on his whip and he only ignited it again after he heard Kakuzu bellowing and threatening him. Upon seeing Hokko's figure dimly in the dark, Kakuzu crossed his arms, demanding for an explanation.

"Sorry for not tellin' you guys anythin'," Hokko said, rubbing the back of his head apologetically. "I saw her runnin', so I thought I'd catch her up and ask her some questions."

"Sorry for interrupting, but who is 'her'?" Kakuzu asked.

"Oh, she's a hostage taken by Drosera for an inappropriate booty call," the cowboy answered. He then turned around and stretched out a hand. There was a moment of silent. Hokko whispered a couple of words of comfort and then a hand took Hokko's outstretched one. Long thin fingers with red nail polish. She stepped into the light, head facing down. Her arms and legs were close to each other as if she was about to slip through the narrow opening between a wall and a lamp post. Her slim arms snaked around Hokko's arm and she glued her body close to him.

Kakuzu took note of Hokko's brief explanation that this woman was made as a prostitute-slave for the man he just killed. Now he was wondering if her attire she was wearing right now was a set of lingerie to entertain her 'master' or if it was her regular attire. Her tight red lacey outfit hugged the body contours. Three buttons held the middle together, while leaving three holes that showed her cleavage and some small part of her abdomen and stomach. Her waist was exposed by two openings, one on each side, and a pair of tight black leggings which looked like it was fresh from a one-thousand-arrows assault covered her thin legs. To cover her exposed body, she wore a black leather trench coat.

She nodded her head meekly. "I'm sorry, my name is Kokera. Mousen Kokera," she said, her high-pitched voice made her sound like she was squeaking.

"Whatever. We have to go now. You can go home. I've got rid of the sick man who tried to rape you," Kakuzu said, his voice cold. He turned around to leave.

"Thank you!" Kokera said with relief. But then her faced turned somber. "But I don't exactly have a home. My only family was victimized during the last raid." Kokera started sobbing. Hokko put his hands on her shoulders and brought her to his chest. The cowboy tried comforting her.

"Well, too bad. We don't exactly have a home either." Kakuzu walked further from the woman and called for his partner to leave as well. However, his partner's words made him stop.

"Kakuzu-san, what if she sticks with us for a while? I'll look for somewhere for her to stay in Amegakure. She can start a new life there," Hokko said.

"Amegakure? Why don't you just put her in your safe haven? All the people you saved now lived there."

"Well, I built the safe haven for children. Besides, it'll be hard for me to check up on her."

"Why would you want to check up on her?" Kakuzu asked again.

Hokko's response came ten seconds slower. "Well, she is quite vulnerable. I just wanna make sure she…nobody mess around with her."

"That's why I told you to drop her in your safe haven! You left hundreds of orphans there, almost unattended; how does leaving a full-grown woman be any different?" Kakuzu canvassed. He was almost growling.

Hokko didn't answer. In the dim light, Nagayoshi could notice his jaw lines getting a level of tension. She gulped slightly; for some reason, Hokko's behavior seemed different. On the other hand, Kakuzu was harsher on him than usual. He usually wouldn't question so much. Possibly, his suspicion on the man he killed earlier affected his judgment.

In the end, Hokko kept taking the woman along and Kakuzu chose not to give a damn about her. The woman proved to be a burden; she was not a ninja, so she was not able to follow their pace. However, the only people who thought that she was burdensome were only Kakuzu and Nagayoshi. Hokko didn't seem to think so. He walked alongside Kokera, like a dog loyal to its master, and ignored other living existence around him. And thanks to the additional burden, their walk back to the headquarters was greatly delayed as the sun rose and they had not yet reached the town they stayed before. They should be able to rest properly in a room with a bed, but this woman crushed the possibility.

"This is driving me nuts," Kakuzu whispered. He massaged his nose bridge. "I could've just left him with her and go back, but Leader won't buy my story that Hokko is hooking up with some supposed-to-be concubine. He would've said, 'Why don't you hit right on his brain and drag him back with you?' and I…actually, that wasn't a bad idea…"

"'Niisan," Nagayoshi hissed, nudging his side with her elbow softly. She peeked back; Hokko was chatting this and that with Kokera. He really didn't pay attention to them. "Hate to spice your currently bad mood, Oniisan, but I think Hokko-san is really hung up on that woman. I might say he's forgotten about Konan-san. Not that it's a bad thing, though."

"I don't care if she's half his age, the problem is our mission is of great importance and that woman, who is not a ninja, is slowing us down!" Kakuzu growled. He made his voice as loud as possible so the couple could hear it. He turned sharply towards the cowboy ninja. They were staring at each other and their stares could have turned the woods into tundra.

Hokko stepped forward. He moved the cigar in his mouth from one corner of his mouth to the other, biting the butt down so the end faced upwards. "If we're slowin' ya down, feel free to leave us behind. Besides, I'm not really your partner, ain't I? She is." He nodded at Nagayoshi.

"You keep her out of this!" Kakuzu bellowed.

"Well then, you keep _her_ out of this!" Hokko retorted with as much voice power as Kakuzu. She grabbed Kokera's hand from behind him. The butt of the cigar was nearly bitten off. "And stay away from her," he said again. "If I see you lay a finger on 'er, I ain't gonna hesitate on stranglin' you with my prized whips!"

"I accept your challen—" Kakuzu stopped as Nagayoshi pulled his arm. He was about to stampede towards him, but Nagayoshi managed to get his senses back. Kakuzu quickly cooled down, seeing the terror and concern in his sister's eyes. He remembered how much she feared his berserk mode. His berserk mode also reminded him to tame his emotions.

When the tension loosened from Kakuzu's shoulders, Nagayoshi let herself sighed in relief. Kakuzu patted her on the head before turning back forward. "I don't care how you do it, but we're gonna pick up the pace and she will have to adjust with that," Kakuzu said. He didn't turn around to see his partner. Without a word, he leapt onto the trees, followed close by Nagayoshi. Only a few seconds later, they heard a horse galloped. Hokko had summoned his male fire horse and had Kokera sitting behind him as he held the reins.

Kakuzu watched them trying to catch up with and through the corner of his eye; he caught Kokera smiling at him.

* * *

**New arc again! This is not as highly anticipated as the previous one, but this one is pretty important. Well, you had better stay tuned if you want to know why. I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	22. Closer Inquest

**Chapter 22: Closer Inquest**

* * *

It was around 8 in the morning when they finally arrived at the town. They didn't stay long; enough time for Kakuzu to return the folding camera back to his intel and have the picture printed. The masked man wasn't too fond of the result. The man's face was surrounded by bruises, all of which were results of Kakuzu's fists punching his face. That, and the blank stare of his dead eyes made the dead man look even more like a monster from the old mythology.

On the other hand, Kokera, the woman whom Hokko had taken quite an interest in, was causing what we may say a minor disturbance. Maybe not so minor for Hokko. It could be because of her revealing clothes; seemingly, all men walking by the road glued their eyes on her as she passed them. Some who happened to walk close by tried to talk to her, only to be shooed off by an angered Hokko. Hokko's possessive dog behavior sparked more suspicion to the siblings. The cowboy was not acting like himself.

After receiving the evidence of the face of yakuza overlord, Drosera, Kakuzu and his companions continued their journey to the next town. They planned to stay there for the day, since heavy-sleeper Nagayoshi said she couldn't take any more hours without sleep.

"You know, you can't sleep at all during the war. You were lucky the Salamander Army had only a few hundred people. Imagine if a whole country is against you," Kakuzu said to his sister as she yawned widely for the seventh time.

"I know…" Nagayoshi bleated. "But war is more intense! There'd be enough adrenaline and problems to keep me awake. This…" she yawned again, "this is just a regular walk from one place to another."

"Well, good point. Just make sure you don't—"

Nagayoshi's systems shut down, instantly putting her into her slumber mode and freefell from the tree. Kakuzu nearly panicked and grabbed her collar. He didn't hide his infuriated growl when he checked to confirm if Nagayoshi was really asleep or was just toying with him. There was a soft snore. She was asleep, alright.

"How can she fall asleep at times like this?" Kakuzu grumbled, slinging her arms around his neck and carried her on his back.

"Why d'you stop, Kakuzu-san?" asked Hokko four meters below. He stopped too, seeing a strange activity going on up in the trees.

"Nagayoshi fell asleep and nearly plunged straight to the ground," Kakuzu answered. He perked one of his eyebrows up. _Oh, so now he's talking to me again?_ he wondered.

Hokko chortled, another act that made Kakuzu question his behavior again. "Well, c'mon! We can't stay out here, now can we? Say, you need help?"

"I've done this before. She may be heavier, but that doesn't mean I can't carry her on my own anymore," Kakuzu said. Just as he finished speaking, Nagayoshi slid sideways. Kakuzu shuffled to readjust her position. He heard both Hokko and Kokera laughing.

"You should never mention a woman's weight, Kakuzu-san. It's a sensitive matter," said Kokera, giggling.

Kakuzu's eye twitched. He wanted to retort, badly. That woman...how and since when did she get the guts to speak to him like that? They had only met last night and never talked too, but then she suddenly opened up to him? Kakuzu grumbled, watching Hokko and Kokera galloping ahead of him. That moment, he decided he would keep an eye out on her.

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi sat bolt upright. Her eyes were open wide as she scanned her surroundings. All of a sudden, she was in a small room with two beds and a small wardrobe. She scratched her head; wasn't she running in the woods? She blushed when her mind arrived on a possible answer. Kakuzu was nowhere in sight, but when he was, she had a hunch she would be lectured all night. She stood up and opened the curtain. The red sky greeted her outside the window. Much to her surprise, it was almost evening. How long had she slept?

She heard the door being opened. She whisked her head towards it and there entered Kakuzu. Their eyes met. The sixteen-year-old gulped. Here cometh the all-night lecture!

Kakuzu stared at her blankly, but Nagayoshi could taste the vexation bouncing from one air particle to the other until it reached her pores. He walked onwards and sat on his bed, unbuttoning his Akatsuki uniform. Nagayoshi leaned backwards towards the window, preparing her fingers to push up the window and escape from what may be a broken loose hell. She nearly squeaked when Kakuzu looked at her again.

"Nagayoshi," he called with that bass voice of his, "come here." He gestured her to come closer. He may have read Nagayoshi's escape plan.

"You…you're not going to scold me or anything, are you?" she asked, like a five-year-old after breaking a neighbor's window with a baseball.

"I would, but I'm too lazy," answered Kakuzu, reclining with his hands propping his position up. "Anyway, why don't you take Hokko to buy us some dinner," he added.

"Why me?" Nagayoshi asked.

"Well, Hokko isn't exactly in a friendly mood with me. Anyway, you and he are the ones with the most normal appearance. That woman and I would stand out too much in the crowd, and with Hokko's behavior today, I'm pretty positive he'll create a huge fuss."

"He wasn't being friendly to me too earlier today," Nagayoshi added.

"I know," Kakuzu sighed. "But he has a soft spot towards you. It'd be better if you go with him instead of me."

A young Nagayoshi would continue to question until Kakuzu had gotten fed up of her. But she was not that noisy little girl anymore. She guessed Kakuzu had an agenda of his own and indirectly asked her to lure possible hindrances by doing mundane activities. The sixteen-year-old nodded. "So what do you want for dinner, Oniisan?" she asked.

"Anything with liver in it," Kakuzu answered.

A few minutes later, Nagayoshi knocked on Hokko's room. She studied Hokko's behavior when he answered her. He seemed more normal now. She saw him asking Kokera what she wanted and noticed he talked like he would to Konan normally. He said his goodbye to Kokera, who chose to rest in the room, and came with Nagayoshi to the town. They began exploring the town for an inexpensive restaurant but had all their desired gastronomy.

Kakuzu watched from his room's window as they walked among people and nightlights. On the road, Hokko returned to his happy-go-lucky personality, as if the tension he had with Kakuzu and Nagayoshi never existed. He acted surprisingly normal.

Now, it's time he launched his plan.

Kakuzu put on his full attire, including his mask, his headgear, and his weapons pouch. He exited his room, leaving the door unlocked on purpose. He turned to his left and stopped before the room beside his and Nagayoshi's. Since Kokera didn't come along with Hokko and Nagayoshi, the room was unlocked. If it were locked from inside, Kakuzu would have heard it clicked after Hokko left.

With no hesitation, he turned the knob. Inside, he found the room was empty. Out of impulse, he dashed to the window. There were no signs of it being opened. The window was dusty on every corner; if it were touched, there would be visible fingerprints on the small desert of soot. Carbon dioxide blew with a slight whoosh from his nostrils. Just then, he heard water running. Kokera was in the bathroom.

Kakuzu waited for a while until the door to the bathroom was opened. Kokera came out with only a towel to cover her body from above her breasts to the middle of her thighs. She gasped when she noticed Kakuzu's large figure in the center of the room. Meekly, she tried to hold her towel.

"I knew you'd eventually come when Hokko-san is not around," Kokera said.

"Why are you expecting me? Is Hokko not enough to satisfy your 'needs', woman?" Kakuzu asked, his tone scornful. "Hokko is an idiot, alright, but his behavior today is not normal. I suspect you have anything to do with that."

"But I'm not a ninja! I don't even know anything about…I don't know…poisonous plants or such," Kokera answered.

"It doesn't matter whether you're a ninja or not," Kakuzu grumbled. "What did you do to him?"

"Why do you have to insist like that?" Kokera asked back. She walked closer towards Kakuzu.

"Answer me!"

"Do you have to be so violent?" Kokera walked closer and tried to reach Kakuzu's shoulder, but Kakuzu had gripped her hand before it even touched him. Kokera winced at the force Kakuzu gave to her wrist.

"I said answer me!" the masked man bellowed. He was aware of his tight grip around her wrist and he will tighten it more should he found this woman guilty of his partner's change of behavior.

The two of them stared at each other's eyes for a long time. Kokera's eyes showed fear. She didn't expect Kakuzu to become this violent over a question. She sighed, and then answered, "When you barged into the mansion, Drosera's hold on me loosened and I tried to run away. Hokko-san caught up with me and managed to corner me in another room. I begged for my life and when he heard my voice, he told me to calm down. He was very kind; he slowly approached me, convincing me not to fear him. After that, he accompanied me and even kindly extinguishing the light from his whip when I asked him to. I was afraid Drosera might find us if he could see his whip's light. We just talked a little for a while until you came calling him."

The wild fire in Kakuzu's eyes faded away. He released Kokera's hand and stepped back from her a little. "You have enough details to support your alibi. Still, that doesn't prove your complete innocence. But for now, I'll let you go," Kakuzu said.

Kokera smiled. "Thank you," she said. Kakuzu grunted and paced his way back to his room. "Say, Kakuzu-san, since my time is mostly spent with Hokko-san, what if…" she grabbed Kakuzu's arm, making the man stop, "we use this opportunity to get to know each other?"

Kakuzu's eyebrow rose. "You're still interested in me? After I nearly crushed your wrist? You're weird, woman; the kind of weird that beats all of my comrades' weirdness," he remarked.

"Well, women do like bad boys and you might be on the top of the bad boy chart. If only I can see your face…" Kokera reached out her hand to take Kakuzu's mask off, but before her fingers touched the black cloth, Kakuzu blocked her hand with his own.

"Forget about it. I only show my face to people I trust," Kakuzu said.

Kokera smirked and said, "Ah, I see…. You're not confident to show your face, eh? What is it? Do you have a dark secret? A huge battle scar, maybe?"

"None of your business. And I'm not unconfident."

"Then show me. Show me that you're confident with your looks. You're a man, aren't you?" the red-haired woman teased. Her smirk had grown larger.

Kakuzu grunted again. "I've had enough of your insults," Kakuzu said. He put his blocking hand down, wordlessly letting Kokera reach his mask and pull it off. She did eagerly and within seconds, the air circulating inside Kakuzu became cooler. At the same time, Kakuzu's main heart beat faster. His pupils dilated.

Kokera ran her slim fingers on the stitches near Kakuzu's mouth. He winced, even though no pain was inflicted at him. However, the pain he felt truly was not physical. Random things ran inside his mind and they were burning his brain cells. It escalated when Kokera rested her palm on his cheek. With a grunt of a group of coolie lifting a concrete block, Kakuzu removed her hand from his face and fell sitting on the bed nearby.

"Are you alright?" Kokera asked, worry in her voice.

"I guess so. It's just, I feel like my mind is taken over by a wild beast or something," Kakuzu answered, holding his head in his hand as if to hold it from falling.

"Maybe I can help you," Kokera said.

"No, you've done enough. I'm sure this is just my body reminding me how old I really am…"

"Kakuzu-san, you don't see women quite much, do you?"

Kakuzu tried to glare at her, but his headache prevented him. "Every day. There's one who's always travelling around with me ever since she was a child."

"Not your sister. Someone else." Kokera lifted Kakuzu's chin, making him look at her. "You probably have forgotten what a woman can do and you might also have forgotten the natural drive in your male genes. Let me remind you of it…" She leaned down and placed her lips on Kakuzu's. Kakuzu, however, didn't rebel against her 'invasion' and, instead, kissed her back. He surrendered to the wild beast inside his head and suddenly, all pain that was torturing him seconds ago evanesced into oblivion.

Feeling Kakuzu's less tense body, she climbed onto his lap and sat there. Immediately, Kakuzu's arm went around her waist and one hand caressed her bare thighs. Kokera moaned into his mouth, escalating the intensity of their kiss. Kakuzu flipped their positions, where he was on top, pinning Kokera on her back on the bed. Their mouths were separated for a moment; their breathing was heavy. Kokera noticed Kakuzu's eyes looking up and down her body until he stopped to stare at her eyes.

Kokera smiled. She slid her arms around his head, saying, "That's it, Kakuzu-san. Follow your wildest instinct…"

And the towel was unwrapped…

**|-oOo-|**

The only restaurant that served dishes with liver as a main ingredient had to be the one with the slowest service. Nagayoshi wanted to excuse the restaurant with the number of customers available. However, they had been waiting for an hour, and their food hadn't come yet. Moreover, after they eat in, they still had to order two more dishes for those waiting back at the inn. If they had to wait this long, who knows what might happen to the restaurant. Nagayoshi was starving to death and her impatience was beginning to par with Sasori's.

When their food finally arrived (along with an apologetic-faced young waiter), Nagayoshi quickly placed the second order for her brother, while Hokko placed one for Kokera. Nagayoshi didn't forget her threat, and she delivered it with so much menace the lights would flicker as her dark aura oozed into the air (actually, the light bulb was only on the verge of dying). The young waiter obeyed her with cold sweat drenching his face and scuttled off to the kitchen. Nagayoshi then took a giant piece of lamb chop into her mouth.

"No need to be so rough on him, Nagayoshi-chan," Hokko said, chuckling as he ate his own food.

"Well, sorry if I bring up a sensitive topic, but you weren't very nice to me earlier this morning and Oniisan was the one who got steamed up," Nagayoshi replied.

Hokko paused his eating and just stared at his meal sullenly. He grimaced. "You're right. I gotta admit, I ain't myself today, dunno why. I know I was protectin' Kokera-chan, but I still can't understand why I've to be so angry." He moved his gaze to Nagayoshi, smiling. "I'm sorry, Nagayoshi-chan, for offendin' you and Kakuzu-san earlier. I'll make it up somehow!"

Nagayoshi smiled back, and the two of them silenced again as they turned to focus on their dinner. Nagayoshi finished first, as she ate much faster than Hokko. Then she decided to ask, "What happened, Hokko-san, when you first found Kokera? I just want to know how you two got hooked up, that's all."

Hokko rubbed the back of his head, restraining his facial veins from bursting. "Well, you know she tried to run away, but I could hear her footsteps. So I followed usin' my ears, since my whip could light up the way so far. When she finally surrendered, I realized she was a woman and she was scared! Lookin' at a pretty lady scared like that, I just couldn't stand it, so offered her help. I tried to tell her that I ain't mean no harm. When she's convinced, she asked for my company so I sat beside her. I turned off the light from my whip so that the other guy couldn't find us in the dark. And…" Hokko suddenly stopped, and at an awkward moment too. Nagayoshi raised one of her eyebrows. She knew there should be more of that.

"And…what? You got hit by something that you couldn't forget anything until Oniisan and I called you?" Nagayoshi asked, trying to coax Hokko to talk some more.

"No, nothin' that serious. It's just…I think she kissed me—in the dark." Hokko bent his neck, dodging his head from a spray of hot tea caused by a thunderstruck Nagayoshi. "I mean, what else could've touched my lips when I didn't face the wall or any other object? I could feel someone's breath on my cheek anyway!" Hokko confessed, his face's color competing with the red lantern above their table.

Nagayoshi twitched. Hokko's turn of events had gone to something she had not anticipated. And from Hokko's story, it didn't seem like he was the one starting the kiss. All of a sudden, Nagayoshi's guts felt like they were thrown into a gigantic industrial dough mixer. She just had an image of Kokera doing the same thing to her brother —where Kakuzu was the submissive, while Kokera was the dominant—and the image made her nauseous. Luckily, she had finished her meal, so there was no need for her to waste any food, although she felt like vomiting them out again. As soon as Kakuzu and Kokera's food arrived, she immediately checked out of the restaurant.

Nagayoshi was not someone who got stomachaches often. She hoped this uneasy feeling in her guts had nothing to do with her feelings, but because the food she had eaten earlier was made with poor hygiene.

Once she arrived at the inn, she rushed back to her room and barged into it like a police during an unannounced raid. Kakuzu whipped his head, staring back at her, filled with surprise of her briskness. Seeing her brother's condition, Nagayoshi dropped to her knees. Maybe the food was cooked in poor hygiene.

"What was that all about?" Kakuzu snidely remarked. "Now stand up."

"Oniisan," Nagayoshi called, "are you okay?"

"That's supposed to be my question, isn't it?" he answered. He watched his sister stand up and that was when he noticed the plastic bag she brought with her. "Ah! Right on time! Thanks, Nagayoshi." He stole the plastic bag from her hands with ease.

The sixteen-year-old followed the man with her eyes. She watched him sit on the edge of his bed and opened his packaged food. She watched him scowled upon seeing the food in an unkempt fashion after being shaken by Nagayoshi's running. Then their eyes met and Kakuzu blinked in realization at how she had been staring at him. He put his food aside.

"Are you really alright, Oniisan?" Nagayoshi asked again.

"What makes you think so?" Kakuzu asked back.

"I don't know. Just a hunch. I thought you might be in trouble."

Kakuzu sighed softly. "I appreciate your concern, Nagayoshi, but I'm pretty sure, if I were in trouble, I'd have known about it." Kakuzu brought his meal in front of him again and started eating. Nagayoshi sat on the bed beside his, her eyes still enshrouded in worry. She wanted to believe him, but the words of her hunch influenced her judgment.

Whose words were the truest?

* * *

**This chapter is, by far, the most painful one to write. I continuously slapped and mocked myself for writing that smut scene. I don't think Kakuzu-dono will ever forgive me… *tearfulyaoming***

**This arc is not over! Stay tune for the next chapter!**


	23. Mousenkokera

**Chapter 23: Mousenkokera**

* * *

The four people continued their journey back to Akatsuki headquarters the next morning. As usual, Kakuzu and Nagayoshi walked the ninja style, while Hokko and Kokera traveled by horse. Unlike previous journeys, this time everything went almost soundlessly. Kakuzu didn't say anything ever since setting foot into the wilderness. He didn't say anything to Nagayoshi. Moreover, Nagayoshi's eyes that were more aware caught those jade-in-red eyes of her brother glancing over to the extra baggage to their travelling group. And the way he looked at her was different—too different.

_So something did happen last night,_ Nagayoshi thought. _I'd better keep an eye on everybody._

They journeyed until noon. They would have still been going if it weren't for Kokera's requesting for a rest. Hokko gave his water gourd for her to drink. He grinned at her as he watched her quenched the thirst that was killing her throat.

"Here," Kakuzu said. Kokera looked at his hand. It was green and had a round-ish shape.

"Oh, such a beautiful apple! Where did you get this?"

"There's a bunch of them in her bag," Kakuzu answered, nodding to Nagayoshi. The sixteen-year-old was overwhelmed with a surge of panic and rummaged her backpack. She screeched.

"You stole it! And worse, I didn't notice! You've hurt my pride as a thief, damn you!" Nagayoshi shouted. She was truthfully humiliated as a thief, but at the same time, a completely different feeling weighed on her. So, yes, Kakuzu did steal her apple, but that was not the big deal. The fact that he was giving that apple to Kokera was what dumbfounded her. She remembered him complaining about her. Nagayoshi's suspicion escalated more and more.

"Anyway, it's for you," the masked man said.

"Thank you, Kakuzu-san!" Kokera giggled. She reached out to grab it, but Hokko slapped Kakuzu's hand, causing the apple to fly in the air and turn back to the earth. Nagayoshi ran and somersaulted, catching the apple in midair.

Kakuzu stared at Hokko with sourness in his eyes and Hokko stared him back with anger. "What?" was all Kakuzu asked him. He almost hissed.

"Yesterday, you tried to insult her, but now you're bein' a suck up!" Hokko bellowed. "I don't know what changed your mind, but you're too late. She's mine now!"

Kakuzu grunted. "You always complained my not being kind enough. Now, I'm trying to be kind and you stopped me. You got some decision issues. And the way you say that she's yours…does she even approve of it?"

Infuriated, Hokko grabbed Kakuzu on the front of his Akatsuki cloak. He dragged him away from Kokera along with himself. Nagayoshi watched them moving away. Her heart beat harder at every step they took. There was a drop of cold sweat rolling down from near her ear. After moving about four meters from the red-haired woman, Hokko resumed arguing. "Don't you talk as if you know her! You never talked with her; you don't even spend time around her!" Hokko bellowed, jabbing his finger at Kakuzu's chest.

"Oh, we talked alright. And not just that, we had sex last night," Kakuzu said. It was unknown who was more surprised by that statement, Hokko or Nagayoshi. Nagayoshi felt betrayed. Kakuzu was the one to give Kokera cold stares and was the one who started an argument by insulting her uselessness. Kakuzu continued, "Your surprised face tells me that even you haven't done anything with her. Don't you see? She favors me more than she does you!"

Hokko sent him a punch on the left jaw. Kakuzu tumbled down, having not prepared for such attack. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Hokko lunging at him with his fist ready. He kicked the cowboy on the chest, sending him away. Hokko got up immediately, disregarding the pain on his chest and the swirling image of the world as he got to his feet. The two men began punching at each other.

"Oniisan! Hokko-san!" Nagayoshi shouted at them, but neither of them heard her.

"Stop it, both of you! There is no need to fight over me!" Kokera also shouted. Much to Nagayoshi's dismay, what she was saying seemed to have worsened the intensity of the fight because now Hokko pulled out both of his flame whips.

At which point, Nagayoshi dashed towards the both of them. But not even halfway towards them, something pulled her ankle and she fell. She turned around to see vines coiling around her ankle and further up to her shin. She threw two shurikens, but instead of cutting the vines, the shuriken simply stabbed them. One vine moved to pull off the shuriken.

"Oniisan!" Nagayoshi screamed, hoping to snap him out and stop fighting against Hokko. A shadow loomed over her. With terror, she looked up and found a strange plant with adhesive dew buds on it. The strange plant plastered over her body and recoiled with her attached to it. Nagayoshi screamed louder.

Kakuzu's ears pricked. He whisked his head towards the source of the noise and found his sister in grave danger. He evaded from Hokko's attack and ignored him completely afterwards as he rushed to aid Nagayoshi. He heard Nagayoshi screaming his name again. "Nagayoshi!" he shouted.

"Oniisan!" Nagayoshi shouted back. "Get rid of this thing for me! My hands are glued inside this plant!"

"Don't worry, I'll get you out." Kakuzu's right arm hardened into stone, with his five fingers pointing to the front. As he was about to slice the plant's body, Kokera held his fortified arm. Swiftly, she pulled his mask down and planted a kiss on him. And it lasted longer than it should.

Still in the strange plant's coil, Nagayoshi gaped in disgust. Far from them, Hokko was stunned. The cowboy ninja gritted his teeth, and then shouted, "So is that it, Kokera-chan? So you do favor Kakuzu-san more than me? What am I to you? I can be useful to you! Just name what you want me to do!" His voice was shaking. The grip on both of his whips tightened—so tight, he could have either broke the handle or hurt himself.

"Forgive me, Hokko-san. You are useful, but so is Kakuzu-san," the red-haired woman confessed. Kakuzu smirked at his rival, making the cowboy burn in jealousy. "However, there is one way for you to prove yourself worthy of my affection," she added. "Fight. Fight to the death, and the winner can have everything of me and from me. But please, do it far away so I don't have to see the blood spill."

Kakuzu pulled his mask back up and Hokko repositioned his hat. "Yes, my lady," they both said, and then they disappeared further into the woods.

"You dirty hag…" Nagayoshi hissed. Kokera turned to face her, and it was there Nagayoshi first witnessed the true face of Mousen Kokera. She was smiling smugly, having had manipulated two powerful people to do her bidding. A person foxier than Nagayoshi the thief was. "Disguising as a weak, non-ninja woman to get Hokko-san's attention. And from what I learn from you kissing my brother, looks like it's a way to control them. And if you can control the male species, then the man my brother killed in your mansion was controlled by you too! Could it be…"

Kokera chuckled and approached Nagayoshi. She held her chin. "Sharp mind, little girl. I guess there's nothing wrong with confessing everything, since you're going to die anyway." She smiled insidiously. "That's right, girl, I am Drosera. The very person your brother and his partner are assigned to kill. Not only can I control the male species' mind, but I also produce pheromones that attract them to me. The kiss is to plant the 'control seeds' inside them."

"So, all this time, all your conquest was done by man working on your behalf? When I think about it, I found it impossible for you, who have not much chakra and unscathed skin, to conquer those towns all by yourself."

"Bingo again!" Kokera laughed, her ego boosted further beyond. "Why waste my energy when I can send someone else to do the dirty work for me? Besides, they are more than willing to do what I bid them."

"And you're going to do the same thing again, using either Hokko-san's or my brother's power?" Nagayoshi asked, although she felt it was rather rhetorical.

Kokera laughed again, confirming that what Nagayoshi thought was right. "Actually, I prefer your brother's power. Honestly, he's the strongest man I've ever encountered. You see, when I kiss a man, I don't just plant the 'control seed' but I also examined their powers of destruction. And your brother's power gives me the chills! He's so magnificent! I could conquer dozens of big towns using his power!" Kokera talked with her passion that continued to blaze the more she spoke. Her orgasmic look when describing the wonders of Kakuzu's power disgusted Nagayoshi. She admitted that Kakuzu's power was monster-like, but her voice and demeanor made his image look cheap, not grand and legendary.

"But…imagine what I can do when I control their leader. I heard from Hokko you live in the mythical village, Amegakure. And I've heard rumors of the man who overthrows Hanzo the Salamander's throne. If your brother works for him, then he must be much, much stronger, isn't he?"

"Yeah, and so is his partner. Konan-san and Sasori-san will defeat you, since the former is a woman and the latter is a puppet. Akatsuki is too strong for your caliber, even if you have taken control of most of the members. Plus, Pain-sama is a god. You can't control a god," Nagayoshi said.

"I'll take my chances. In the mean time, I'll enjoy watching your brother destroy towns and villages, right after he slays his own partner!"

"Not if I can help it!" Nagayoshi heaved. She tried to get her hands together and formed a set of seals. With a bit of effort, she shouted, _"Takogesu Sanran!"_

Arms of lightning slashed through the plant's body and swished around to slice it down. Nagayoshi freed herself, her clothes soaked in adhesive dews of the plant. She gave Kokera her death stare.

The red-haired woman squeaked and in an attempt to protect herself, she summoned numerous sprouts of the same plant. However, Nagayoshi was better prepared this time; she casted four lightning hummingbirds and had them flying in circles around her, pecking and cutting all plants that tried to bind her again. She stomped towards Kokera, crackling her fists.

At last, Kokera's poor amount of chakra nearly ran out. She stepped back as she begged Nagayoshi. "Please, don't. Don't punch my beautiful face! I'm a woman!"

Nagayoshi raised her fist. "Bitch, I'm also a woman." And the punch was blown, right on Kokera's beautiful face. She tumbled on the ground, groaning in pain. Nagayoshi looked at her with contempt. "That's for kissing my brother—twice! As his sister, I don't approve bitches stealing his lips!"

She was raising her foot back to kick Kokera on the side of her stomach when she heard a birds-startling boom. Then she cancelled her kick and dashed towards the explosion instead. Kakuzu and Hokko were seriously fighting to the death and they had just gone much too far from her expectation. She raced with terror in her mind. She prayed neither of them died. She didn't want to lose another friend, another person who she could call a family. Her breathing became heavier and it nearly stopped when she arrived at the scene.

Trees were felled, burned, and torn. The ground was filled with gigantic fractures and scorch marks. Two men were on the far right of the battlefield. One was standing; the other one was lying on the ground, gravely wounded. The gravely wounded happened to be Hokko. Nagayoshi dropped to her knees. She thought she was quick enough. She wasn't.

Kakuzu was just standing; his shoulders rose and fell in a harsh yet flowing rhythm. It seemed like Kakuzu was enraged for a moment there. The rivalry triggered by Kokera's mind controlling jutsu had lured out the monster within him. Nagayoshi's nails scratched the bark of the tree she was standing on. She really wished she had beaten that woman into pulp. She had ruined everything, worse still by using man's raw instinct to find a suitable mate. She had turned two of Nagayoshi's beloved men into two stags during the peak of the mating season.

Nagayoshi took a deep breath. She reminded herself to think clearly. During this stressful moment, she would need all her clear thinking capability to assess situation and make a decision. She studied her brother. The harsh rhythm of his shoulders had ceased. She supposed he was not in rage mode anymore. So she hopped down, wanting to approach her brother, when he turned around briskly and shot his tendrils at her in an alarming speed. Nagayoshi evaded with almost the same speed. A small part of her foot, just above her heel, got sliced, having not dodged fast enough. She braked her movement, one knee on the ground, and checked her wound briefly.

Kakuzu dashed towards her. The killing intent had not yet faded from his eyes and it blurred his ability to differentiate friend from foe. Shrugging the pain on her foot and dodged again. She kept dodging and Kakuzu kept swinging his arms and legs. Nagayoshi was well aware she couldn't block Kakuzu's attacks. She couldn't even block them during spars. Her head calculated possibilities of snapping him off. She thought of hitting him on the head, but it could have made him angrier. She never dealt with a furious Kakuzu before. When he went into a rage fit, she ran away or hid somewhere safe until it was over. All these years, she was horrified by his fury mode, but now, she had to face that fear. Otherwise, she would lose her life and the world she lived in will turn upside down. That woman's sensual influence would not only endanger her brother, but her friends back at the headquarters would be in danger too. Itachi, Deidara, Kisame…

"Sorry, Oniisan. Please don't hate me," she muttered as she summoned three lightning hummingbirds. She swung her arms and sent the speedy birds towards the rampaging Kakuzu. Kakuzu shot his tendrils, piercing the birds right in the middle of their body. They dissipated, but had not disappeared quite yet. Instead, they coursed through his black tendrils and shocked him with many megawatts of electricity. Nagayoshi flinched at her brother's pained scream. Even for someone his caliber, an electric shock with a power enough to light up a whole town was still agonizingly painful.

And this was her chance. Kakuzu was paralyzed for the time being; she could knock him unconscious and move on to deal with the hag that caused all this trouble. She dashed, her fist up and ready. But her expectation was not.

In his efforts pushing off the numbing pain of being electric shocked, Kakuzu thrust out his hand and shot out several tendrils. They pierced through quite a portion of Nagayoshi's belly. It did not puncture her vital organs, but the wound was too large. Hadn't she jumped to unleash her punch, the tendrils could have pierced the left side of her chest, where her heart lied beneath. The fist she prepared loosened as she held the tendrils piercing her belly. She winced and groaned. The torn flesh caterwauled with pain which tortured her brain. Her blood dripped to the ground; some splattered on her shoe. More blood spurted from her mouth, staining her mouth. Some drips of blood rolled down her neck and tarnished her white shirt which Herasagi gave her.

She grunted and groaned louder in pain when Kakuzu retracted his tendrils back, with Nagayoshi still hooked onto them. Kakuzu didn't drag her slowly; he pulled the tendrils back like doing tug-o-war—violent and swift. He held the girl by her neck and his fingers started to tighten. Frantic, Nagayoshi held his hand. Her mouth struggled to form a word.

"Oni…" she gasped with much effort. It was the first time she felt Kakuzu's hand gripping his prey to her death firsthand. "Onii…san…" she gasped again. The oxygen escaped from her, having their passage blocked and on the verge of being destroyed. And the oxygen came back as fast as it left her.

Kakuzu grunted and held his head as if suffering from a terrible headache. His hand was still on her neck, but he had no longer the intent to kill. Kakuzu realized who he almost killed and released his victim before she died. He quickly held her around her shoulders, letting Nagayoshi take a deep breath on his broad chest. He looked further down and realized he had done more than just choking her. Kakuzu had never felt so guilty in his entire life.

"What have I done!" he hissed. He nearly pulled the tendrils out but remembered the consequences that may befall upon his sister if he had done so. "I didn't know what I was doing. I…God…Nagayoshi, I'm very sorry…"

"No…I understand…Oniisan…" Nagayoshi coughed and accidentally sprayed some of her blood to Kakuzu's cloak. The masked man, however, had no time to fuss about his clothing. "Now…" Nagayoshi said again, "remove these things from me…" She put her hands on the tendrils still planting themselves in her belly. She tried to yank them out; painful it was, but she tried not to pay attention to it.

"Don't be stupid!" Kakuzu scolded her, holding her hands to stop her from taking the tendrils out. "If you take these out, you'll bleed more profusely."

"If I don't, you'll have to spend the rest of your life like a Siamese twin!" Nagayoshi retorted. "Well, if you don't want to hurt me, take it out softly."

Wordlessly, Kakuzu agreed to that idea and instructed Nagayoshi to get a grip on him. At first, the girl didn't understand, until Kakuzu's tendrils exited her flesh one by one, slowly and delicately. Even through the most delicate of process, the removal was still painful that Nagayoshi couldn't help but scream. Her nails clawed Kakuzu's shoulders. She bit her bottom lip too hard that it bled. When they were all out, her screaming ceased, much to Kakuzu's ears' relief. The relief, truly, was exclusive only to his ears. Kakuzu's heart was in worse feeling of guilt. After leaving her flesh, his tendrils left a large circular wound with a diameter as wide as tea cup.

Nagayoshi took long, deep breaths to suppress the pain on her belly. She looked up to her brother's face. "Oniisan, listen. That woman…"

"Think about her later. We have to tend to your wounds immediately. I promise, this time, my tendrils will heal instead of hurting you," Kakuzu said. He carried his sister to the nearest tree, where she could lean and rest. However, once Kakuzu put her down, Nagayoshi refused to sit down and insisted upon holding her wound standing up.

"I'm fine, Oniisan," she said with a weak voice. "But if you would do me a favor…" she trailed off, casting her gaze to a man lying in a pool of his own blood, his bald head was marked with scorch wounds and his eye patch missing. "Bury him," she said, "He's unlike Ryouken. He should be buried more properly."

Kakuzu nodded. He agreed. He and Hokko may have argued from time to time, but he never hated him. In fact, he very much respected his partner for his willingness to obey him and his aid in communicating with then-stubborn and rock-headed Nagayoshi. Hokko may be biologically younger than him, but he had more experience in raising children. His experience more often than not taught Kakuzu about dealing with children. What happened to him was an unfortunate turn of events. For reasons unknown, they began to hate each other in a single night. Worse still, they were fighting over a woman they had just met for a day! Kakuzu's dignity was injured along with his partner. How could he be so easily manipulated?

He had only moved for a few meters when he heard metal rubbing against a solid object. He whisked his head only to see a terrible scene of Nagayoshi being stabbed with a short sword just between her collar bones. The one stabbing her was none other than Kokera, whose pretty face had been smeared with blood from her nose. Her mouth and cheek were blackish blue. She mercilessly pulled the short sword out and kicked Nagayoshi away. The injured girl fell to the ground, too weak to move.

"Nagayoshi!" Kakuzu shouted in horror. He rushed towards her, knelt, and embraced his sister, praying she was not yet dead. She was still breathing, but with a great effort. Not only had the sword fractured the bone, but her esophagus too. She struggled to keep herself awake while Kakuzu tried to stop the bleeding by covering the wound his fingers.

"You are one persistent man," said Kokera behind the kneeling Kakuzu. "I was surprised that you didn't even succumb to my scent, but I notice it was because of your mask. Luckily, finding a chance to open your mask before me is easy. I had to kiss you twice to make you obey me, but that's not enough." She pointed accusingly to Nagayoshi, whose figure was blocked by Kakuzu's back. "That girl! Whenever she's in trouble, you snap out and reject my control!

"Get away…" Nagayoshi breathed.

"What? When I'm about to take over your brother?" Kokera snobbishly retorted, walking towards Kakuzu. However, Kokera didn't see what Nagayoshi saw. She didn't see the girl's eyes dilated in fear at the sight before her.

Kakuzu put the girl down on the ground and froze in place. Nagayoshi grabbed his hand but he slapped it away. Kokera approached the masked man, but this time with a little hesitation. She felt something sinister gushing out like a waterfall from him. Just when her gut feeling started to warn her more frantically, Kakuzu turned with the same alarming speed he used when he blindly attacked Nagayoshi. He swung his arm but Kokera managed to evade away from his lethal punch—a punch that could easily divide a baobab tree into building logs. Kokera hopped backwards, completely taken by surprise. Where had the influence of her mind-controlling seed gone to?

With a bone-chilling roar, Kakuzu pursued her with the same killing intent he had when Kokera last let him to fight his own partner. Kakuzu proved to be too fast for her; she caught her neck when she was not yet ready to evade again. She quickly formed a set of seals and the plants with adhesive dews grew from under the ground, wrapping a raging Kakuzu in them. They did not stop him. With his tendrils, he took down the plants and tied the red-haired woman. She squirmed in the coils of tendrils, not wanting Kakuzu to hurt her. Her efforts were futile and Kakuzu's turning his arm into stone marked the end of her life. She screamed in terror, calling to the gods for help. But gods didn't listen to her. They stayed silent, watching as Kakuzu ripped her heart out and crushed it like an orange.

He dropped her body like a sack of wheat and he once again breathed raggedly, as if he had run around the world nonstop. After a few minutes, his breathing slowed down. His boiling blood vessels no longer pressed on his ears, enabling him to listen to his surroundings more intently. However, the woods were silent. Kakuzu gazed skywards, which was blocked by dense leaves. He sighed. He felt like falling to his bed.

Kakuzu returned to Nagayoshi. To his surprise, Hokko was lying beside her. He knew Nagayoshi did not move towards the bald man; it was the bald man who moved. He studied the two lying humans. Their eyes were closed, no telling whether they were just sleeping or dead. Hokko's whip was coiled around Nagayoshi's arm and the handle was loosely grasped between his fingers. Kakuzu noticed the change in Nagayoshi's wound near her neck. He knelt for closer inspection and, indeed, the bleeding had stopped. It didn't take a second for Kakuzu to realize that he owed the life of his sister to a dead man.

* * *

**A sad chapter it is. Hokko has finally met his end. On the brighter side, Kokera is now gone too! A trivia of her: Mousenkokera is the Japanese word for the plant sundew, which Latin name is Drosera. If you know (or once you know) how the sundew looks like, you should have been able to guess who Drosera is actually.**


	24. Earth Grudge Spear

**Chapter 24: "Earth Grudge Spear"**

* * *

It had some sense of déjà vu. The moment Nagayoshi opened her eyes, she thought she was still dreaming, for the last time she woke up, she was also confined in a room of off-white concrete walls lying on a bed. Moreover, her body was numb. Fidgeting was as much she could do in making movements from her body. But when she moved the area around her abdomen, a powerful strike of pain punished her. She blinked to grasp what was going on and then she moved her head to see if there was anyone near her. And she was surprised to see Kakuzu laying his head on the edge of her bed. Just as she moved her hand to reach him, he woke up, as if he heard her muscles moving.

"Oniisan…" Nagayoshi whispered.

"Hey, kid," Kakuzu answered, standing up and grasping her hand loosely.

Nagayoshi was struck with awe. That was the first time he addressed her with such a soft voice. She knew well it wasn't because he was still lethargic. When he was talking lethargically, his voice was raspier. And then his hand. He was holding him like he would a small kitten. It made her smirk.

"'Niisan, I'm thirsty," Nagayoshi said.

Kakuzu nodded. "Let's get you sit up first." He slipped one hand behind her neck and helped his sister rise to a sitting position. He paused briefly when the girl winced in response to the pain on her left abdomen where he had punctured her. Once she had sat up, Kakuzu handed her a glass of water. He didn't remove his eyes off his sister, even as she ate a few onigiri to fill her hungry stomach. Soon, his adhesive gaze started to cause an itch to Nagayoshi.

"Will you stop staring at me, Oniisan? It's starting to get disturbing," she said.

Kakuzu blinked and realized his doing. He looked down, muttering, "Sorry. It's just…"

"I know, Oniisan," Nagayoshi interjected. She looked to her brother, smiling sincerely. "What sane man wouldn't be worried when his sister sacrificed herself to stop him?"

"You didn't need to do that. You should have run away, hide until I calmed down and went to look for you. You wouldn't have to be like this if you did," Kakuzu said with that same softer-than-usual voice. The red sclera of his unique eyes seemed to dim, as well as his green pupils. "What's worse, I killed Hokko."

Nagayoshi shook her head. "You didn't! He died because he ran out of chakra when he was healing me!"

"But he wouldn't be running out of chakra if I didn't almost kill him!" Kakuzu retorted, returning to his gruff self. He fell to the chair he sat on earlier before Nagayoshi's wakening. He supported his head on his hand, sighing. Nagayoshi reached out her arm to rub on his shoulder. She winced in the process of patting her brother; her moving triggered the pain in her abdomen wound. Kakuzu noticed her pained look and sat closer to her so she could still reach him. "That wound I made, though, I patched it. Looks like Hokko didn't have enough chakra to heal all of your wounds, not even the one near your heel," he said.

"Are you going to blame yourself again, Oniisan?" Nagayoshi asked bitterly. The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds. They both knew she was right.

"Remember what I said to you in Herasagi-san's house? You get injured more frequently than I do, and every time that happens, a part of me is destroyed. Now it happens again, and worse, I was the one causing your injuries this time. I can't stand it anymore, Nagayoshi." His hands clutched the blanket which covered the bottom half of Nagayoshi's body. "This is a secret I long have hidden from you," he started again, "during our search for you when you went missing, I once requested Hokko to give place in his safe haven for you. I once intended to drop you there."

Nagayoshi gasped. She stared at her brother who avoided making eye contact with her in disbelief. Her breath shook and quickened. She bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Then why didn't you?"

"You know it. After reuniting with you, my idea was put on hold because you found your true family. And then we argued…and then I made a promise to help you find your mother." Kakuzu sighed aloud. "I wanted you to get your best chance, yet at the same time, I want to keep you safe."

They fell in silence. Nagayoshi observed her brother; how he suddenly looked so weak, as if what he said was true. Every time he saw her get hurt, a part of him was destroyed. The destroyed parts left him weak. God knows how many more impacts it would take to finally turn him into crumbs. The image of a weakening Kakuzu hurt Nagayoshi. What she was looking at was not the figure of her brother she looked up to. She stared at the uncloaked Kakuzu and her eyes arrived on the stitches on his back and his arms. A notion arrived in her mind…

"Oniisan," she called softly, "I was thinking…if there is any way to keep me from getting hurt but without separating us apart. And then I look at you and…" she trailed, hesitating. Kakuzu waited for her to continue, all the while blinking in confusion. Nagayoshi inhaled. "Maybe you could, uh, implant Jiongu in me," she finished.

Kakuzu sat upright, almost bolting to stand. "You want me to implant Jiongu?" Kakuzu repeated in shock. Nagayoshi scowled, feeling she had just requested the wrong thing. However, Kakuzu continued on saying. "It is true that Jiongu stitches your wounds close, even your detached limbs, but, Nagayoshi, are you sure? It's classified as a Kinjutsu for a reason."

"Then, Oniisan, why did you fix Jiongu inside yourself?" Nagayoshi asked. It was not a question of arguing; she simply wanted to know her brother's intention behind his rag doll look.

"I was young; all I thought about was redeeming my failures by enhancing my power no matter how. My using Jiongu was one of the reasons I was banished from my home village. Though, I have to admit, the power Jiongu granted me is amazing. But after so many battles, so many survivals, and so many scars, sometimes when I look in the mirror, I wonder if I'm a human or a creature from another realm." He looked at the stitches on his arm. First, there was only his skin and the black threads sewing his arm together, then, Nagayoshi's smaller fingers landed on the threads.

The sixteen-year-old stroked the stitches delicately, as if fearing her brother would get hurt. She looked to Kakuzu. "So these are battle scars?"

"Well, not these. I purposely divide my arms into three sections. The ones where I attach my four masks are on purpose too, but other than those are battle scars," Kakuzu answered.

Nagayoshi's eyes widened. "Even those?" she screeched, pointing at the stitches near Kakuzu's mouth. When Kakuzu said nothing, she exclaimed in a heavier dose of amazement. Kakuzu blocked his ear closest to her mouth with a finger. In his mind, he feared other inn guests heard her exaggerated surprise and misinterpreted it for something else. She proceeded to rubbing her own cheeks. "I can't imagine it! It's too horrible!"

"Well, that's exactly what I'm warning you about," Kakuzu said. "It will change you forever, it changes you drastically. You'll be forced to endure pains beyond what the living can stand. You will have to experience pain so agonizing you'd prefer to have your life snuffed out. And when you finally see death, the pain stops and you realize you are still alive. Then there's the remain of the agonizing pain you felt, never to fade…" Kakuzu paused, and upon noticing the poignant way his sister looked at him, he cleared his throat. "I'm…confusing you, aren't I?"

"I can see where you're coming," answered Nagayoshi. "But what other choice do I have?"

The brother and sister once again sat in silence, each contemplating on that other choice. Minutes have passed and nobody came with a conclusion. They tried to steal a glance at each other, checking if one had made a decision. Soon, they stopped stealing glances. Kakuzu sighed.

"I'm ready when you're ready," he said.

"When can we start?"

"As soon as we're back…home…"

**|-oOo-|**

As expected from the powers of Jiongu's black threads, the large puncture wound on Nagayoshi's belly healed faster than a medical ninjutsu can make. Even with the minor setback, they arrived not later on the next day. They could have arrived by noon were Nagayoshi in a good shape. However, they felt a couple hours of delay would not make much of a difference, especially since the report Kakuzu was supposed to deliver was the same.

"Therefore, despite the disgusting trouble she put us into, we still managed to get rid of her and present you that less-than-presentable photograph of her," Kakuzu reported before Pain. Konan was standing beside him, looking at the photograph of a dead red-haired woman whose chest had a hole as large as a baseball. Neither Pain nor Konan showed any signs of revolt.

"It was unfortunate to have lost your partner in your hands again, though, Kakuzu," said Pain in his nonchalance. Kakuzu's grimace under his black mask was unseen by him. "However, since your version of what happened is rather unreliable—being under her control you were—I am unable to decide whether to punish you or let you go. I will require the witness of your sister, Kakuzu."

"Unfortunately, that is currently impossible," Kakuzu replied.

"Why is that?" asked Pain, half suspicious. Of all his men, Kakuzu was known to have hidden many secrets he often did not fancy.

"She and I have a private matter to arrange. However, if you do wish to see her, I can notify her after our matter is settled."

Pain nodded, much sooner than Kakuzu had anticipated. He thought the leader would question him some more. Seemed like he was too lazy this time. "Very well," Pain said. "Tell her to meet Konan when she's ready. I will meet her personally afterwards."

Kakuzu nodded and exited Pain's office as soon as he was dismissed. He went straight towards the exit and not bothering to stop. Deidara saw him rushing out and quickly asked, "Hey, Kakuzu, where's Nagayoshi-kun?"

"You won't be able to meet her anytime soon. She's occupied," answered Kakuzu just as quickly.

"Occupied?"

But Kakuzu had long left the blonde young man from the brief conversation.

Once he exited the long tunnel that lead to the main building in Amegakure, his cautiousness grew sharper. He looked around to see if there was anyone around him, spying and intending to follow him. His worst fear was Zetsu. He was technically the eyes and ears of Pain. Although it was true that he could not be everywhere every time, but after what Kakuzu told Pain about his and Nagayoshi's matter, Pain would most likely send Zetsu to keep an eye on him.

Feeling assured he was alone, he hurried towards the creeks with gigantic tree roots connecting one creek to the other, like a stuffed toy half sewn. Behind the lowest twentieth block, Kakuzu had made a cave only for this occasion. When he first arrived, there was no sign of a cave ever existed. The entrance appeared when Kakuzu put his hand on it. Again, the masked shinobi looked around for spies before entering. The dome-like cave greeted him under the dim light of four torches on the edges of the cave. In the middle was a pedestal, surrounded by a fairly large circle of scribbles that extended from a large scroll put on top of the pedestal.

Nagayoshi was sitting on an edge of the pedestal, wearing only her pants on. Her top was held closely to her chest, covering her breasts. And even though there was only her and Kakuzu in the cave, she could not help but frowning in embarrassment. The heat radiated from her face was probably only a few degrees cooler than the fire on the torches.

"Remind me again why do I have to take my shirt off?" Nagayoshi asked half-whining.

"It's easier to reach your heart from the back. There's the lung covering a part of your heart if I were to go from the front. And that's not all: your spine will be the jutsu's perch, where it will hold itself. There's more to that, but we don't have much time. Now lie down."

Nagayoshi obliged. Slowly, she lied herself on the pedestal with her back up. She could feel her heart beating against the parchment on the surface of the rock pedestal. The beating was hard enough to make her body feel like bouncing. Her breathing reciprocated her heart beat. She heard her brother moving to her side. "How did you perform this on yourself?" she asked.

"Had a bunshin to do it for me," Kakuzu answered. His hands zipped to make a series of hand seals, and a long series that was. Long it was, but Kakuzu finished it within seconds. He slapped his palm flat on Nagayoshi's back. The tiny hair on her arms stood and she gulped.

Black scribbles appeared from Kakuzu's palm, smearing over Nagayoshi's back. The scribbles formed four circles, one circle inside another. In the middle, there was just black with a thin white slit dividing it into half. Then the magic happened. The thin slit thickened.

Nagayoshi's soft hair continued to stand up. A tickling sensation stroked her back, right on the spine. She could feel her skin opening on her back. Yet, the skin divided itself so gently that she felt no pain like someone would when their skin was sliced apart by a knife. After a while, the weird tickling feeling disappeared.

Kakuzu lifted his hand and brought it together with the other one. He positioned his hands to form the last seal.

With the command from the seal, the massive scribbles from the scroll ascended to the air, hovered for a moment, before storming their way into the opening on Nagayoshi's back. Their speed was enough to cause wind in the dark dome. The scribbles entered the girl's body, penetrating muscles and flesh. It was upon that contact did everything become so agonizing that Nagayoshi screamed at the top of her lungs. The rock wall of the dome bounced her screams, amplifying the sound to almost a deafening level.

It took only about ten seconds for the black scribbles enter her body and settle themselves inside as the very threads that existed inside Kakuzu. The opening on Nagayoshi's back closed itself once the process had finished. One thick thread stitched the slit tight and Jiongu was instated.

**|-oOo-|**

"I have Jiongu inside me, but why can't I move the tendrils as I wish? I can only feel them wriggle inside me and it's weird! In fact, ever since I woke up, I literally never feel the same," Nagayoshi said, now in Kakuzu's room, thirty minutes after having Jiongu planted inside her.

"Well, it does take time, or maybe you're just not talented. It only took me a day of intensive training to finally be able to move it around freely," Kakuzu replied.

"Don't be a snob, Oniisan! If you can do it within a day, so can I! And I'll start tomorrow!" Nagayoshi exclaimed with passion. Her passion died down shortly afterwards. She gave her best glance at her back. "Does that mean I have to start getting used to halter tops?"

Kakuzu shrugged. "It's up to you. Though I'd appreciate it if you cover your back during our travels. I don't want to unleash my anger towards random men who are staring at you inappropriately."

Nagayoshi burst into laughter and slapped Kakuzu behind his shoulder before hugging his arm. "Alright, Oniisan," she replied with a smile.

Their tranquil moment was disrupted by noises outside, from the hall. Nagayoshi listened to the voices and was able to recognize the owners: Deidara, Sasori, and Kisame. Itachi could be with them too, but he probably stayed silent as usual. Both Nagayoshi and Kakuzu counted the seconds until they—

"Nagayoshi-kun!" Deidara hollered, barging into Kakuzu's room without bothering to knock first. He ran inside and stole Nagayoshi from Kakuzu's side. "That masked jerk won't tell me anything, un, so I thought you were hurt or something," said Deidara.

"That, and Hokko is nowhere to be seen," Sasori added. "Kakuzu, could you be…"

"Yes," Kakuzu cut Sasori short. "It was me. Again."

"Oniisan…" Nagayoshi turned.

"Save your breath, Nagayoshi. We both know the truth." Kakuzu stood and pushed Nagayoshi and Deidara towards Kisame and Sasori on the doorway. "You guys have some buddy reunion, right? Well, don't let my boring aura bother you!" Easily, Kakuzu shooed them off and shut his door. The four Akatsuki previously standing in the doorway stared at the room's entrance in confusion.

It was only Nagayoshi who maintained a smile. "Too bad, Kisame. I think our spar has to be delayed. I've some recovery and an intensive training to do," she said.

Kisame's ears pricked. "Recovery? So you ARE hurt! And you have some intensive training!"

Nagayoshi chuckled. "I was, but Oniisan healed me. So no worries! And…" This time her face grew somber. "I think I owe you guys a story."

So, for the rest of the afternoon, Nagayoshi hung around the guys and told them everything. Kokera's powers, her ambitions, the damage Nagayoshi caused to Kokera's face, and how Hokko died actually. She didn't, however, tell the self-blaming that was currently haunting her brother.

* * *

**This chapter is dilemmatic to make because I was unsure whether to let Nagayoshi have Jiongu or not. Although in the end, I do let her have it, but I limit Jiongu's capability in her. I plan only to use about 10-15% of Kakuzu's Jiongu power in her. I don't want her to be stronger than average ninjas, but not entirely better than them.**


	25. Room 218

**Chapter 25: Room 218**

* * *

It had been quite some time since Nagayoshi's last visit to this particular room: opposite to her brother's with the kanji for 'white' written in the same color on the door. Nagayoshi inhaled, storing all her oxygen inside her lungs for longer than it should. She knocked the door. The door opened a little and Konan peeked from inside. Once she realized who her guest was, she opened the door wider.

"Yo, Konan-san," Nagayoshi greeted awkwardly. "So I heard—"

"Come to the meadows above the decoy entrance," Konan interjected. Her face as nonchalant as the leader. "Pain will see you there."

Nagayoshi was not given time to think and her only response was: "Uh, oh, okay." Assuming that Konan was not in mood for girls' chit-chat, Nagayoshi spun on her heels around.

"How is your wound, Nagayoshi?" Konan asked all of a sudden.

Nagayoshi halted and turned back to the blue-haired woman. "I'm not—how did—" she stammered.

"Your friends sort of shouted about it last night. I can easily figure out what's going on," Konan answered, slightly warmer than her attitude when she delivered Pain's order.

"Oh, right. The wound's healing fine, thanks to Oniisan's tendrils. I can do more training with him in no time!"

"Is it alright for you?" Konan asked.

"What is?"

"You receive wounds from your battles and soon, your body will be full of them. As a woman, are you feeling alright with that? Because many women despise seeing their smooth skin scathed, although many of those kunoichi chose to ignore beauty and continue fighting."

Nagayoshi threw her gaze to the floor, her eyes gloomy. She answered, "I'm going to admit, I do want to see my skin smooth. I do feel afraid that guys won't be attracted to me if my skin is full of scars. But I guess I'm a bit too late for that. So I have no choice but to bear these scars."

"That is the risk of being a kunoichi, and a criminal at that. Now go. Pain has an important matter to discuss with you, alone."

Nagayoshi nodded and headed for the tunnel. There was a little sadness in her as she rewound her own words inside her head. Physical beauty was something she sacrificed for having Jiongu inside her. If she continued to fight, to become a kunoichi, the chances of her having a similar physical appearance as her brother are quite thick. But as much as she wished it didn't have to be that way, what happened has happened and there was nothing she could do about it. She hoped whoever man that she was going to love can accept her for who she is.

She did as she was told; once she was outside, she waited on the meadows above the fake entrance. She sat on the cliff side, facing the red Shinto gate that towered before the large boulder which covered an opening on the bottom of the cliff. Nagayoshi was never told what lies behind the large boulder which bore a large paper seal. But since it was often referred as 'the fake entrance', her best guess was it was just a normal cave behind the boulder.

Her ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching as her mind was wandering around in thoughts. She whisked her head towards the source of the footsteps. She gulped upon seeing the elusive leader of Akatsuki stepping closer to her, unaccompanied by anybody like she was. Her obsidian eyes met his gray Rinnegan. Nagayoshi may have faced Pain from time to time, but she didn't remember the last time _HE_ stared her dead in the eyes. Those eyes made her whole being felt like sinking into a life-sucking abyss. They were intimidating, yet at the same time, harmless. She had to re-control her breathing when Pain sat on the cliff side beside her. That was new.

After a period of silence, Nagayoshi started, with some effort, to say, "So…on what, uh, occasion do you call me here…sir?" Nagayoshi bit the bottom of her lip, unsure about the 'sir' thing.

"Yesterday your brother reported to me about your last mission. I congratulate both of you for the success," said Pain. His deep voice vibrated through the air particles and tickled Nagayoshi's ears.

"Um, thank you…" replied Nagayoshi with uncertainty.

"Although it was unfortunate that a member of the organization has fallen in the process of completing the mission."

Nagayoshi did not say anything, yet her mind was haunted by the figure of the dying Hokko approaching her with the last bits of his living energy, and used his remaining chakra to heal the stab wound on her neck. She could remember the very faint and weak smile Hokko gave her. There were no last words—only sounds of Hokko's breathing getting slower and slower until it stopped forever. Nagayoshi shut her eyes tight, trying to sweep those last-minute images off her head.

"Kakuzu admitted Hokko's death was his doing. I could have agreed, if it weren't for his saying that his mind was also manipulated by the very target he was supposed to kill. I summon you here now to hear your version as his version was slightly…unreliable," Pain asked.

Nagayoshi moved her gaze to the Shinto gate, her eyes clouded with gloom. She sighed. "My brother kept saying that Hokko-san's death was caused by him. It is true that his mind was manipulated—I saw how it was done. However, the one who truly saw Hokko-san's death was me, Pain-sama. I saw his breath fading away at the same time as the fading of my wound here," Nagayoshi touched the part of her neck that was stabbed by Kokera. "However…if Oniisan didn't have this intense battle with him, Hokko-san wouldn't have been so gravely injured. I argued with him about it, but actually, I know he was right."

Pain watched the sixteen-year-old getting overwhelmed with emotion. He noticed the bond formed between the two humans whose age gap reached over seventy years. Nagayoshi struggled to calm down while, at the same time, feeling embarrassed that she almost had let her emotions out of control.

"There's nothing we can do to stop death from happening," said Pain. "If they are dear to you, there's nothing better to do than to keep their legacy moving to see the next generation. In his honor, I've sworn to give him the ideal world I've promised him. Before that, though, there is another problem."

Nagayoshi blinked in confusion. Pain was looking at the red Shinto gate, so Nagayoshi encouraged herself to set her eyes upon him. This way, she could see his character better, without having to be intimidated by his unique eyes.

"I've lost count on the number of partners killed in Kakuzu's hands, although there were some who were not directly killed by him—like Azuwato, for example. Every time this happens, I always think more than twice in selecting his next partner and all the time, his partner died while he survives. This time, my capacity of choosing is put to the limit. I just know that his next partner will die before he does."

Nagayoshi grimaced. "Well, we can't really blame him. Oniisan is kind of invincible. Well, he'd deny it if we call him that." She sighed, resting her chin on her palm. "The only thing that can stop the invincible is another invincible. That way, we don't have to worry if they hit on each other."

Much to Nagayoshi's surprise, Pain stood bolt upright. His eyes were wide opened, yet they didn't seem to be staring anything in front of them. Nagayoshi leaned to make sure the leader was still breathing.

"Judging from the situation during your previous mission," Pain said, to Nagayoshi's relief, "I can safely determine that your brother does not need to be punished this time. However, I am giving your brother a temporary time-out to honor his fallen comrade. In the mean time, I'll be looking for a new partner for him."

Nagayoshi could not hold her relieved smile but she also could not help to wonder. "You…you're looking for a new partner again? Do you have someone in mind?"

"No, not exactly. But thanks to you, I have some idea where to find one. You are dismissed, Nagayoshi."

Nagayoshi nodded and stood. When she walked past the Akatsuki leader, Pain called her name. Nagayoshi turned around and her eyes met his. This time, she felt a different feeling. She was not intimidated by his Rinnegan anymore. In fact, she felt warmth from his stare, as if whoever she was looking in the eyes was a different person.

"Thank you, and pass the good news to Kakuzu," said the leader. And for the first time in Nagayoshi's life, Pain smiled.

**|-oOo-|**

The temporary time-out Pain spoke about turned to be twelve days. Kakuzu used the time to train Nagayoshi using her new bodily features. He trained her in secret. Nagayoshi agreed to his terms in order to keep her friends from worrying about her. In those twelve days, Nagayoshi had mastered how to control the tendrils inside her, how to make them move as she wanted them to, and how to sew wounds of her own and of others. However, since the only exit for the tendrils was her back, it took her a few seconds longer to take them out and use them. The tendrils had to slither out from her sleeves before coiling on their target and it was difficult to control their bursting power so as not to ruin her inherited outfit.

Nagayoshi's mastery was still far from Kakuzu's level, but for the mean time, it was enough for her to defend herself. Kakuzu wanted to teach her more, but since his vacant days were over, he had to postpone it to some other time. Pain had summoned him to his office and he wanted Kakuzu alone. Nagayoshi had to hold an urge to grin, knowing that Pain had found her brother a new partner. Within a couple of hours, the two siblings had already suited up and ready to go.

When they headed towards the tunnel, Kisame was leaning his back against the wall near the entrance. Nagayoshi skewed her eyebrows and asked, "Are you waiting for Itachi, Kisame?"

"Nope. I'm waiting for you two!" he answered with a grin.

"You what?!" Nagayoshi did a double take before freezing with her eyes blank. Puzzled, Kisame looked to Kakuzu for an explanation, which the masked man gave none.

"What? You don't like going on travels with me anymore?" said Kisame, disappointment in his voice. At this, Nagayoshi snapped back to normal, surprising Kisame with her rapid movements and boiling face.

"No! It's not that, it's…" Nagayoshi trailed. Kakuzu walked past her and she could hear his facial muscles contracting to form a grin. Kisame was still waiting for a continuation. She threw her arms in the air out of frustration, growling, and stormed off into the tunnel. Kisame followed, his mind drowning in confusion. His young friend was acting strange unlike he had ever seen before.

Kisame's suspicion and curiosity continued to grow the further they walked. Nagayoshi kept her distance. Far. A little bit too far for someone he knew ever since she was just a pre-pubescent kid. She walked behind him and Kakuzu. Her eyes may not seem focused, but she followed the two men to the right way.

Being fed up with the curiosity, Kisame encouraged himself to ask Kakuzu in whispers, "Why is Nagayoshi walking so far from us? Was it something I said or did?"

"She never said anything to me of why," Kakuzu answered. His tone was light yet cunning.

"But you know something, don't you?" Kisame persisted. "C'mon, man! Tell me something! I can't live on with this curiosity!"

"What difference does it make to your unknowing of Pain-sama's real name? Doesn't that make you curious too?"

"Well…yeah, now that you mention it. But that's not what I'm talking about right now!"

"You're not a boy anymore, Kisame. Looking at her weirdness symptoms should give you enough clues to figure out what she's feeling. She doesn't have much experience about this. Last time I saw her like this was when she was still a student in Kumogakure Ninja Academy." Kakuzu looked skywards, his mind wandered in the past few years.

"I didn't know anything about your and her life then. Stop talking in riddles!" Kisame growled.

"Oniisan," Nagayoshi called all of a sudden. Kisame froze, thinking she might have heard him. His expectation betrayed him. Nagayoshi approached Kakuzu while keeping her distance from Kisame. A small hummingbird made of blue lightning perched on her finger. Kakuzu faced his sister. "Katana found him in a small village in River Country. She's currently trying to keep him stay there for an extended time until we arrive."

"Then there's no time to waste—which is a shame. I planned to bounty hunt a little. I think my bank account could use some extra cash," Kakuzu said. A slight tone of sadness echoed from his bass voice.

Nagayoshi rolled her eyes. "Let's go…" she grumbled and walked south, towards the River Country. Kakuzu followed her shortly, but Kisame stood still for a few moments.

His sharp teeth gleamed as he smirked. "So this is the new teamwork Hokko-san talked about."

**|-oOo-|**

Despite arriving at the right place, Kakuzu and his companions felt lost. According to the messages Nagayoshi received, Katana would be waiting on an inn district on the south. The three walked across the town and said person was nowhere to be found. Nagayoshi scratched the back of her head, wondering if the message she received were a hoax. Nagayoshi decided to search around by activating her extra sensory. Unfortunately, neon lights all around the district emanated too many electromagnetic frequencies. Nagayoshi could not sense chakra but the electromagnetic pulse from the chakra inside a person's body.

Nagayoshi shook her head, saying that even her extra sensory was not useful for their current search. Kakuzu decided to start searching the traditional way: he entered into places—bars, shops, inn after inn—and asked whoever was there if they had seen a girl with red markings on her cheeks. He even handed a bartender files of his prospective partner; a file, which to Nagayoshi's surprise, was a copy of Yuugakure police records.

"You a bounty hunter?" asked the bartender, rising one of his wild bushy eyebrows.

"Yes," Kakuzu said with zero uncertainty. "I'm not gonna kill him. His parents still wish to see him, though in jail. I'm just doing them a favor," he added.

Far from the counter, near the entrance, Kisame scoffed. "Wow, your brother isn't very good at lying, is he? Doing a favor? Please!"

Nagayoshi was not listening. She was too busy sweating and holding down a mad blush from coming to her face. Her mind was too busy fixing her line of thoughts. Kisame noticed the anomaly and only could raise an eyebrow.

The wild eyebrowed bartender nodded and continued pouring liquor for another customer. "He and the girl you asked come here. Hour ago, I think. He buy her drinks, many. She then go coo-coo and I think they gonna marry soon."

Kakuzu twitched. "I get what you're saying. Do you know where they're staying for the night?"

"I'm bartender, not police!" the bartender snapped. "Maybe they go to Ayaka-chan's inn next door. They drunk—they become stupid. Easy to find them."

"Good point."

The bartender turned around to get a bottle of drink for another customer. "Hey, you come here from far away. How about a drink…" he trailed, finding the masked man he spoke to earlier and his two friends—a tall one and a girl—were gone from his bar. He grimaced and shook his head. "Ninjas…"

Kakuzu, Kisame and Nagayoshi went next door to one out of many inns they hadn't explored. A blonde girl in red kimono greeted them with shaky voice and shaky legs. Nagayoshi decided it was her turn to speak, knowing that the humble young girl was intimidated by the appearance of two tall men wearing black baggy cloak, with one of them having a large sword.

Nagayoshi gave the girl a warm smile. Something she learned when she worked at Herasagi's tea shop. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a young woman, a little bit older than me, has kind of a messy hair and a pair of markings on her cheeks, and a man who looks like this." Nagayoshi handed a photograph of a teenage boy. Every strand of his silver hair seemed to be heading to different directions. His left hand had its middle finger erected while his right hand was holding the placard. The blonde girl gulped.

"He might look a little older than this photo. So? Did you see them, or did they check in here? Please be honest because the two guys behind me don't take 'no' for an answer most of the time." Nagayoshi put her hands flat together and rest them beside her cheek, posing as womanly and as amiably as possible.

The woman squeaked and flipped through the guest book. "Room 218! They're in 218, I promise!"

Nagayoshi chuckled. "Thank you, my dear!" she turned around and nodded at the two men behind her who walked ahead of her towards the room mentioned.

Nagayoshi was about catch up with them but blonde girl spoke again. "Um, I don't know if it has anything to do with you, but a white dog came in after the couple. It was so big and scary; it even growled at me for trying to chase it away."

Nagayoshi nodded and rushed after Kakuzu and Kisame.

The second floor was easily reached by the men's long legs and the room 218 was further back in the corridor. Kakuzu spotted something he recognized. A white dog, with half of his blood belonged to the wolf. "Shirozaki!" Kakuzu exclaimed, and the dog rose to its paws. It whimpered towards the door of room 218 and scratched it with its claws.

"Katana and the other brat are inside, I know." Kakuzu jiggled the door knob but it wouldn't budge. He was aware of the possibility of having door locked from inside, but he doubted it so far due to the fact that the two people inside were drunk. Kakuzu was raising his foot to kick the door down, but Nagayoshi came, shouting frantically for him to stop.

"Let magnetic physics do the trick," Nagayoshi hissed at her brother. She knelt before the door lock and placed a chakra-coated finger over it.

"Where did you learn to do that kind of stuff?" asked Kisame.

"Years of busting bounties in hotel rooms have honed my skills in breaking entrances cleanly. At first, it was to avoid Oniisan from making massive property damage," Nagayoshi answered. Her finger slid to the side and clicking noise from the lock could be heard. "By the way, shouldn't we step inside gent—"

Before Nagayoshi could finish her say, the door in front of her had swung wide open. And she was right. What they encountered right after the door was opened was a sight that could cause a female mantis to eat herself. As if to prevent Nagayoshi from eating her face, Kisame smacked his huge palm over her face, making the sixteen-year-old squeak in pain.

Noticing the sound caused by the door banging against the wall, the silver-haired young man turned his head. He pouted and snapped, "Yo! Where's your fuckin' manner?!"

* * *

**Finally, Hidan! And finally, one of my favorite combos is complete! Well, not officially.**

**I had to revise and think over how Kakuzu and Hidan meet for the first time. The first drafts contained much less lime and Kisame was not involved in the 'pick up'. I thought if Itachi was present when Sasori picked up Deidara, why can't the similar thing happen with other members. Plus, my main intention of including Kisame will be shown in the next chapter.**


	26. Frontal Talk

**Chapter 26: Frontal Talk**

* * *

"You deaf, jerk? I said, where's your fucking manner?!" the silver-haired man spat at the masked man who had just barged into his hotel room without permission, more importantly, when he was one cloth away from being completely naked.

Kakuzu twitched, unable to hold down his contempt. Not only was the young man almost naked, the young woman he pinned against the wall was in the same state. Their lack of clothing was not the only thing they had in common; they both had red faces and the focus of their eyes was unfixed, indicating how drunk they really were. Kakuzu's soul was drenched in an indescribable mixture of emotions, all of which were starting to heat his head.

"So this is how you plan to 'stall' him here, huh, Katana?" Kakuzu growled.

The pair stopped their pre-sexual activity due to the disturbance caused by Kakuzu's bass voice. The young man turned around, glaring at the masked Akatsuki member. Katana walked towards Kakuzu, but halfway through, she tipped to her side and fell to the bed as alcohol continued to consume her conscience. After a hiccup, she said, "I didn't expect it to end up this way, but what the hey!" She laughed loud and high-pitched. Clearly, the alcohol had also taken her sanity a hostage.

The young man picked up what seemed to be a weapon—a scythe with three blades. The end of its hilt was attached to a rope. He hiccupped and said, "I dunno what's yer business here, buddy, but Imma tell ya somethin'. If you ain't leaving soon, I'm gonna make sure Lord Jashin be eating you!"

"Guess what, dick head! We're not leaving!" Nagayoshi retorted with the same spiciness as the silver-haired young man. Kisame still had his hand over her eyes, but that didn't stop her from arguing.

The young man turned to Katana only to find her asleep, with mouth opened and drooling. He gritted his teeth and turned back to Kakuzu and the others. "Now look what you guys do! She's now fucking sleeping! So much for my sexy time!" He cocked his head back, looking down at the Akatsuki in his drunken state. He licked his upper teeth, reminding Kisame of Orochimaru but in a less creepy manner. "I'm gonna make you guys pay for making me lose my fun time."

Nagayoshi could not see anything with Kisame's hand over her eyes, but she could hear a clink and whooshing sound. While she was still wondering, Kisame wrapped his other arm around her stomach and hopped back. Nagayoshi squealed in surprise at the sudden force. When she felt the floor beneath her feet, she pushed off Kisame's hand from her face. Kisame had brought her back into the inn's corridor and Kakuzu was still inside the room, standing like a statue. Next, she noticed how Kisame's other hand was still on her stomach. She blushed profusely and shoved Kisame away from her.

Her blush disappeared as soon as they came. The figure of her brother standing still like that bode a bad feeling to her guts. She gulped.

The young man retrieved his three-bladed scythe and raised it again to be thrown, this time at Kakuzu. The scythe swung, its curved blades were ready to stab and hook Kakuzu to his doom. But Kakuzu caught it with ease, surprising the drunken lad. Being drunk, he was too late to react when Kakuzu yanked the scythe, bringing him closer to the masked shinobi. Kakuzu had prepared the other hand, hardened it, and stabbed the man's square on the chest. Blood splattered all over the floor and some to his arm.

The silver-haired man laughed and he laughed loudly. He grabbed Kakuzu on the back of his white headgear and stared at his jade eyes sharp and mocking. "You think a weenie stab like this can kill me?" He smashed Kakuzu's head with his, therefore pulling Kakuzu's arm off from his chest. He groaned as the arm was removed from inside his chest. It appeared that he still could feel pain.

"No way," Kisame gasped. "Kakuzu can't have missed it. It's clear that his hand went through his heart and probably punched some holes into his lungs. How could he still be alive?"

"Kisame," Nagayoshi called. Kisame felt a tug on his sleeve and it was Nagayoshi who did it. But then Kisame saw something he had never seen before. Nagayoshi looked like a child watching her first horror movie, only this 'horror movie' was real. "We have to run, Kisame. We have to get away as far as we could."

Kisame blinked. The shivering all over her body and the shaking of her breath were all too new for him. The tugging on his sleeve became stronger. While Kisame was too entranced in his amazement of seeing a terrified Nagayoshi, in room 218, Kakuzu let out a powerful roar. Following his roar was the wall breaking apart. The sound of concrete chunks flying and hitting the wall across the corridor snapped Kisame back to focus on his surroundings. He finally noticed the source of Nagayoshi's fear as Kakuzu stepped out the hole he made on the wall.

"Let's go, Kisame," said Nagayoshi again, her voice fading. "Let's go before he mistakes us as his opponents."

"What if I just stop him? Hold him down until he calms down?"

"Don't be stupid!" she hissed, much to Kisame's surprise. "You may think you're a brutal guy, but Oniisan is not just brutal when he's like this. He would level the whole town! C'mon, let's get out of here!"

Kisame was about to oblige until he noticed Shirozaki scampering into the now-ruined room 218 and climbed onto the bed where his master was sleeping. Kisame grabbed Nagayoshi on the wrist and ran towards the room. He ignored Nagayoshi's protest; she shut up after noticing what his intention was. Kisame removed his cloak and wrapped it around Katana's body. He carried her, and with Nagayoshi and Shirozaki, he made an escape by breaking through the window since Kakuzu and the other guy were exchanging blows in corridor.

They hopped onto the nearest building and only stopped after the fifth building. There, Kisame handed Katana to Nagayoshi who sat on the roof while taking her breath. Kisame remained standing for a while to check the condition of the inn from afar. Eventually, he sat.

Kisame landed his large hand on Nagayoshi's head. The girl was blushing again, but she did not forcefully remove his hand from her this time. "You okay now?" he asked.

Nagayoshi nodded. Her blushing subsided a little to a normal level as Kisame retrieved his hand back to his side.

"I've never seen you so scared like that. Actually, I have, but not as intense as this time. I guess, rather than dismembered body parts, you're more terrified of your brother's uncontrolled wrath," Kisame said.

"It's that obvious, huh?"

"I know you said that he could level the whole town if continued to be enraged, but really, I could've stopped him. I have Samehada here to help me!"

"I tried to stop him once! As a result, I got this." She showed Kisame where Kakuzu pierced her. The wound may have healed, but the scar was as visible as a black ink spilled over white paper. Nagayoshi continued, covering her scar under her clothing again, "And because I was wounded, Oniisan realized what he had done and stopped on his own."

"And are you planning to get yourself hurt again?" Kisame asked, heated.

"His wrath scares the shit out of me, I admit that, but if that's what I have to do, I'll do it."

"Oh no, you don't!" Kisame snapped, smacking the back of Nagayoshi's head. "You told me not to be stupid, and there you are willing to sacrifice yourself to stop Kakuzu's tantrums. It won't make any difference with me stepping in and fight him until either of us is beat."

"But I can't let you do that…" Nagayoshi muttered, rubbing her head where Kisame had smacked her.

"Nor can I let you." Kisame reached out his hand again. Nagayoshi thought he was going to pat her head, but no. Instead, he rubbed the back of his fingers against her cheek. The new kind of skin contact was too much for Nagayoshi's mental to handle that she collapsed backwards. Steam puffed from her head. Before she and Katana could roll down the roof, Kisame caught her arm. The swordsman laughed.

"You may look all tough cookie on the outside, but inside, you're pretty much the same with those average teenagers!" Kisame laughed at the sixteen-year-old. "Now I wonder…could that be why you avoided walking near me?"

Nagayoshi blushed harder and yanked her arm free from his grasp. She threw her face off, pouting. Kisame chuckled. "Now about that intensive training of yours. I've been wondering about it for some time. Are you learning some new trick? Maybe you should use it in our next spar."

"You're still looking forward to that spar?" Nagayoshi asked.

"It's just postponed, not cancelled! Of course, I'm looking forward to it!" Kisame's eyes then narrowed. He cupped his chin and leaned closer towards Nagayoshi. "Don't tell me you actually never wanted to spar."

"No, no! I'm okay with it!" Nagayoshi defended herself. A black thread slithered from her sleeve and several others followed. The threads slowly hovered towards Kisame coiled around his wrist.

"This…this is the same as Kakuzu's!" Kisame exclaimed.

"Yeah. The day we got back, I asked Oniisan to put them inside me. And those twelve vacant days were used by Oniisan to train me on basic controls like using them as the extension of my hands. However, their only exit is on my back, unlike Oniisan which is almost anywhere on his body."

Kisame did not speak for a moment; he only watched the tendrils as they uncoiled his wrist and slithered back inside Nagayoshi. He sighed. "Fine. I guess I can let you get away with that."

"I'm truly sorry, Kisame! I'll make it up to you! In fact, as soon as we get back, we can start sparring!" Nagayoshi said.

The blue swordsman smirked and he replied, "A spar AND a date!"

Nagayoshi squawked and once again, fell backwards. And, once again, Kisame caught her arm to prevent her and Katana from falling. Nagayoshi swore her body temperature was above fifty degrees Celsius and three-quarter of her soul had flown away into the Milky Way. She heard Kisame laughing at her weird antics again. "Why are you so frontal?" she asked with breath that was almost nonexistent.

"Well, basically, when hiding your feelings, you have to lie either to yourself or to others. I hate lies, even those made by myself, so I'd rather not hide my feelings or deny them. I don't like going on spying missions, since most of the time you have to deceive your opponents by becoming someone else you're not," answered Kisame.

"But how about the others in Akatsuki?" Nagayoshi asked, rising from his near-fainting state. "They all hide something—something from their past. They don't tell you everything about them."

"I may hate lies, but I'm not a guy without respect. I'm also hiding a lot of my past from them. Not even Itachi-san knows what exactly I've been through as a child. In that case, I think it's pretty normal. Besides, I evade from telling people my past. That way, I don't have to make up excuses, which I quite hate as well."

"Then…" Nagayoshi stammered, "what's the deal with the thing that time in winter?"

Kisame skewed his eyebrows. "I don't get it."

"Ugh, you know! The thing you made me to apologize for no apparent reason! Wait, no…I think it was you who apologized for no apparent reason, then left me!" Nagayoshi snapped at Kisame. Her question was honest, but her snapping was just her way to get rid of the red on her face.

Kisame laughed apologetically, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I left you because I was filled with a lot of thoughts. I can't think clearly if I'm not alone, so I went back to my room, locked myself in, and all I did for the rest of the day was thinking."

"May I ask what you were thinking?"

"That I like you a lot."

And once again, Kisame caused Nagayoshi to explode. Only this time, Nagayoshi resisted falling backwards. Nagayoshi coughed; she was sure another part of her soul had joined the Milky Way. "Not only was that frontal, it was super corny…" she squeaked as she tried to regain her composure.

"But seeing you now, I don't think you're ready yet. I'll leave you to make up your mind, but still, that won't change the fact that you owe me a date." Kisame grinned and Nagayoshi pouted in response. The blue swordsman chuckled and ruffled her head. He, then, turned his head to the building where they escaped from. While they were busy talking, several holes had been punched through some rooms. People gathered near the building; some of them may be people who were staying at the inn. "Do you think it's time we go back and check?" asked Kisame.

Nagayoshi looked over to the inn. It was true that there seemed to be less violent activity inside that building. However, she was unsure. Last time, when she was sure that Kakuzu was no longer mad, she was wrong and paid the price. She did not want to get hurt by Kakuzu anymore, both for her sake and her brother's. Kakuzu had enough guilty feeling for the last fifteen days and she did not want to pass him an extra burden.

She nodded. "Let's go," said Nagayoshi.

Kisame stood and picked Katana, who was still sleeping and murmuring things, in his arms. "Wait," he said, when Nagayoshi was about to walk ahead him, "to ensure the future of our date, I cannot let you be in front and facing the weapon directly."

Nagayoshi sighed, but she smiled as well. "Why are you so obsessed with the date thing?"

**|-oOo-|**

The inn's physical condition was worse than Kisame first imagined. Although it was only the second floor that was ruined, but should Kakuzu's fight went more destructive, the floors above could have collapsed and the whole inn could be ruined.

The moment Kisame and Nagayoshi entered the second floor, they already could see splatters of blood on the floor and the walls. Some bathrooms were destroyed; the water sprouting from the broken pipelines washed some of the blood, making a mini gory pond. When they moved to the corridor, Nagayoshi covered her mouth, trying to subdue a scream. Kisame noticed that and pushed Nagayoshi back inside a room where they came in. He lay Katana down on the floor; Shirozaki immediately lied down beside her, licking her face.

Kisame grasped both of Nagayoshi's shoulders. "You should stay here, with her," he said, nodding at Katana.

Nagayoshi shook her head. "No, I have to find Oniisan."

Kisame scowled. He looked to his hands. They were trembling and it was not caused by his own muscles. Nagayoshi was the one who was trembling. It was obvious that she was terrified. She was about to face her top two most feared things and she just saw the first one. Seeing all that, Kisame had to shake his head.

"Please! I have to make sure he's okay!" Nagayoshi protested. "If it makes you feel better, I'll stick close to you—behind you, even!"

Kisame sighed aloud. "Alright, whatever. But stay close."

Nagayoshi nodded and held Kisame on his left arm as his right hand prepared itself on Samehada's hilt. They carefully made their way around the corridor, checking every room with the walls broken through. In the middle of the corridor, they spotted the silver-haired man's head. Nagayoshi gulped and shut her eyes until she walked past it.

They heard grunting from one of the broken rooms and rushed towards it. They found him, sitting on one side of a bed that had been raggedly split into two. He was checking a wound on the side of stomach and a black thread, as if with its own conscience, was sewing the wound close. Kisame and Nagayoshi were standing from the corridor.

"O-Oniisan?" Nagayoshi called him.

Kakuzu turned his face towards them and stood. "Nagayoshi, Kisame!" he replied.

Convinced that Kakuzu was no longer in wrathful state, Nagayoshi ran to him and hugged him. She accidentally hit Kakuzu on the newly sewn wound, causing the masked man to grunt.

"Oops, sorry! Are you alright, Oniisan?"

"I'm okay. The brat isn't, though. Where's Katana?"

"I put her in one of the rooms," answered Kisame. He peeked out to the corridor. "You really screwed up, dude. He's not even your partner yet and you killed him already!"

Kakuzu sighed. "I know, I know. My bad. I guess I'll be doomed to a lifetime of indoor work from now on." Kakuzu sat back on the bed, head down as he mourned on the loss of his lifestyle. "That means the end of my career as a bounty hunter."

"Isn't that good? I always think that you should retire," said Kisame. He grinned when Kakuzu grumbled at his joke.

Suddenly, a scream echoed throughout the floor. It was the scream on a man. The three of them focused their ears on that man's voice. "Holy shit, what the fuck happened to my body?! How did it get so far from me? Hey, hey! Whoever did this to me, I hope you're not dead yet 'cuz I need some explanation! HEY! Are you even there?!" the voice shouted. The contents of his shouting caused the hair on the back of Kakuzu's neck to stand.

"It can't be!" Kakuzu muttered. He rushed to the corridor, followed by Nagayoshi whose curiosity was on par with his. The two of them and Kisame peeked from the room and found that the one was shouting was the silver-haired young man.

The silver-haired young man whose head was in the middle of the corridor.

Who was supposed to be dead.

The man's purple eyes caught sight of three people peeking from afar. He scowled and shouted again, "What are you lookin' at?! Get over here and explain this to me, ya jerk! Which one of you did this to me?!"

For the first time in her life, Nagayoshi shrieked in horror and fainted. Her mental had been tested far too many in this one day, mostly thanks to Kisame and his frontal verbal communication, but what was worse than to see a dead mutilated body was to see the mutilated body showing vital stats—and talked! Nagayoshi's mental endurance had reached its limit and shut off. Kakuzu panicked and tried to get Nagayoshi awake again but to no avail.

Kisame held down a sneer. "Tough on the outside, average girl on this inside."

* * *

**I enjoy writing this chapter—mainly because I get to write funny dialogues using Kisame's mouth again. I know lots of people will think that Kisame is the most socially-awkward person ever, but that's not how I perceive him. He may be self-conscious of his looks, but that doesn't mean he lacks confidence. The canon depiction shows zero unconfidence in him! I studied and deduced his overall personality from watching episodes featuring him as well as reading his Wikia entry. Seeing that his deepest wish is to see a world without lies, I thought he could be a person who is true to his words.**


	27. Tricks

**Chapter 27: Tricks**

* * *

The feeling of cold air on half of your face and hot air on the other half has never felt good or was it normal. Nevertheless, it was a daily routine for Inuzuka Katana to feel such a thing the minute she woke up. After around five hours of sleeping, the Inuzuka defect opened her eyes only to find herself wrapped by an Akatsuki cloak twice her size, in the middle of the forest. Her drowsiness vanished in a snap, but gravity insisted that her brain should touch the ground. She rolled to her side, hands grasping on her head, and moaned in pain. Shirozaki stood up and licked her face.

"Ugh…what happened to me…?" she groaned. As she spoke, she noticed how dry her mouth felt.

"You tell me," said Kakuzu's voice. He stood before her head. With his height, Katana felt like looking at a giant. The fact that Kakuzu was crossing his arms and his eyes were narrowed only intimidated the Inuzuka more.

"Kakuzu-sama, I can explain," Katana replied with her dry voice.

Katana was about to rise from her lying position, but Kakuzu stopped her. "Don't you get out of the cloak. You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself."

She did not understand him at first, but after shuffling around, Katana noticed how nearly all sections of her body could feel the fabric of the cloak. When she realized her situation, she screeched out her embarrassment. The pain in her head changed the screech back into pained groans.

"Some serious hangover you got there," Kakuzu remarked, flinging Katana's clothes to their respective owner. "How many shots did the brat make you drink?"

"I don't remember. I think I started to lose my senses after the sixth shot or something."

Kakuzu gave no remarks and turned his back on her. Katana used this given opportunity to dress. She did it as quickly as possible, ignoring the throbbing ache of the hangover. While she dressed, she asked, "By the way, where's Hidan? Did he agree to come with you?"

"I wouldn't say so myself," Kakuzu answered.

With some difficulty, Katana stood and walked to Kakuzu's side. A few meters in front, she saw Kakuzu's companions for this journey. She noticed someone she had never seen before. Were she to meet him in a dark alley, she could have been intimidated by his figure, but right now, he was nowhere near intimidating. Especially since he was trying to separate Nagayoshi from wrestling the now-fixed silver lad, also known as Hidan.

"What did you just call me, asshole?! I DARE YOU! I dare you, you son of a bitch!" Nagayoshi roared, strangling Hidan's neck with her legs while twisting his arms to a point where bones could not fix themselves.

"Fucking stop it! Ow ow ow ow! The stitches, you bitch, you're gonna undo them all!" Hidan shouted back.

On the mention of stitches, Katana realized that Hidan's arms, neck, and a part of his exposed chest were covered with stitches. She would like to hear the details of how he could end up in such situation. But knowing Kakuzu, she took back the idea of asking for details and, instead, asked this: "How long have they been like that?"

"Ever since I finished patching the brat and Nagayoshi waking up from fainting," Kakuzu answered. He glanced at his assistant and found her eyeing him questioningly. "You heard right. My sister fainted. It was amusing to see, though." He watched in silence for a moment before commenting, "That brat is just another type of person I abhor, but it's good to know that I won't be Nagayoshi's fightmate anymore."

"I thought you secretly enjoy the arguments between you and Nagayoshi," Katana remarked.

Kakuzu did not answer and further watched the wrestle match between Hidan versus Nagayoshi. At some point, they became quite violent and began to roll around on the dirt. The scene reminded the three who watched them of two male cats fighting over a female. The problem was one of them was a female. Kisame retreated from the scene, being unable to separate the two of them.

"You're one lucky guy, Kakuzu!" Kisame said. "Now you're officially babysitting two very rowdy children. And now I understand why Leader handed you this guy."

"Why?" asked Katana.

"Oh yeah, you were asleep. Well, those stitches aren't simply because he was injured, Kakuzu mutilated him with his bare hands! Yet, he's still alive! Pain-sama knows this and sent Kakuzu to recruit him. And thus, the Zombie Combo is born!"

Kakuzu placed his palm over his face. Katana giggled at the name. She then remembered something. She had been holding it after she dressed and she handed it to Kisame. "I believe this is your cloak," she said to Kisame. "Thanks."

Kisame smiled. "No problem," he replied. He took his cloak back from Katana's hands and immediately slipped his arms into it.

Katana turned to Kakuzu again and said, "The source of his inability to die is this religion called 'Jashinism'. I managed to ask him about it and he said that whoever worships the god Jashin can obtain immortality as long as they present him offerings by killing people through a special ritual. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to learn about this ritual thing."

Kakuzu scoffed. "Immortality? There's no such thing. Even his condition has a catch," he said. "And I doubt if it really was a religion. It could be some kind of kinjutsu hidden as a religion to avoid the local laws."

Katana shrugged. "I only know what I heard. Besides, my real mission was to find him and keep him on one location until you arrive. Now that you guys've met, I guess this means my mission is complete."

Kakuzu nodded. He rummaged his inside pocket and pulled out a brown envelope. Kisame scrutinized the envelope and noticed from the distance between Kakuzu's thumb and his other fingers that it was generously filled. And judging from the relation between Kakuzu and Katana, that envelope was filled with money. Katana did not confirm Kisame's musings, though, as she put the envelope inside her back pocket after receiving it.

"You know how to find me," said Katana, turning around before climbing onto Shirozaki and departed into the depths of the forest. Hidan, realizing that she was leaving, disregarded his quarrels with Nagayoshi and ran after her.

"Wait! You still owe me a sexy time!" Hidan shouted. Katana did not respond, but since she was an Inuzuka, it was quite positive that she heard him. A few seconds later, he turned around, facing the others. "She likes me, I know that," he said, grinning smugly.

"Her dog doesn't, though," Nagayoshi added coldly.

"Her dog's a male!" Hidan snapped back. "It's normal if he gets jealous!"

Nagayoshi burst in laughter. "Are you suggesting that Shirozaki thinks Katana is his bitch?" she asked scornfully. "That's bestiality, you moron!"

The two teenagers argued again, calling insulting names at each other and insulting each other's intelligence. Kakuzu could do nothing but to sigh in exasperation. He massaged the bridge of his nose.

**|-oOo-|**

The trip back to the headquarters was delayed about four hours due to Kakuzu's side trip. After giving the money to Katana, Kakuzu felt he needed to replenish his wealth. Luck happened to be on his side that time, as he found two bounties—brothers—each head worth ten million Ryou. Although initially Hidan expressed his disgust in Kakuzu's drive for money-making, he volunteered to kill one of them as well as showing off his Jashinism killing ritual. Kisame volunteered to kill the other brother, saying he was bored. Kakuzu and Nagayoshi did not argue with them; Kakuzu was glad that he did not need to waste his energy and Nagayoshi could use the spare time to pick apples from a nearby apple tree.

The bounties were successfully obtained and those who killed them were satisfied. Kakuzu, however, was disappointed at the time it took Hidan to do his ritual. Kakuzu then noticed that he was once again partnered with someone he would get into lengthy and heated arguments with. It couldn't get any better, he told himself.

As for Kisame and Nagayoshi, although the latter had no longer distanced herself from the others when walking, she still found it hard to face Kisame. Their short talk on the other day had changed everything, especially on how his image was to her. She couldn't describe Kisame as her best friend anymore. He had become something beyond that. Nagayoshi was about to step in to something she had never experienced before.

But before that, there was the appointment Kisame forced her to attend.

While Kakuzu went inside the headquarters with Hidan to report to Pain, Kisame and Nagayoshi stayed outside to commence their sparring, much to Nagayoshi's surprise. The sixteen-year-old wanted to put her bag down and rest her legs for a while. However, as he had told Nagayoshi earlier, Kisame did not buy her excuses.

"Come on! We never can be too relaxed in the battlefield! Sometimes, you can't even relax at all!" Kisame said. He 'kidnapped' Nagayoshi, carrying her over his shoulder like a bag of rice. He brought her to a spot in the forest not far from the cave where Kakuzu implanted Jiongu into her body. There, he put her down and stepped back a little further from her, bracing his sword. The grin on his face grew and grew.

Nagayoshi sighed. Although she did say yes to Kisame's request for a spar, Nagayoshi was not in the mood to do some sparring. She thought she might be in a better mood tomorrow, but not today. However, she knew Kisame would simply shrug off what she had to say and classified it as an excuse. So, to fulfill Kisame's expectation, she took out her extendable baton and coating it with her lightning chakra.

Kisame's grin grew. "You do still remember the last time you use that thing on me, I suck the chakra coating it, right? It'll be of no use," he said.

"Well, it's simple, then. I just have to hit you quickly," Nagayoshi replied. In a blink, her figure disappeared from Kisame's sight. It took the swordsman by surprise; he didn't have the time to analyze where she might show up from as she appeared behind him. She swung her baton at his blind spot with the speed equal to the flapping of a hummingbird's wings.

She missed; Kisame sensed her presence once her baton neared his head and evaded before it hit him. "Whew! That was close!" he said, "You're faster now, Nagayoshi! I really should be careful around lightning jutsu users." Just as he finished, four streaks of lightning burst from under the ground. They bent their course and rocketed towards Kisame. The swordsman was forced to evade again and that was when Nagayoshi used the chance to get a direct hit on Kisame. This time, Kisame managed to block her attack with Samehada and absorbed the chakra coating the baton.

Nagayoshi did not stop. She took a low angle, moved forward, and grabbed Kisame by his wrist. Kisame, realizing he was being pulled, planted his heels on the ground, but Nagayoshi's pulling still brought them closer. Instead of pulling him towards her, she let the swordsman pulled her and sent a clean punch on his cheek. He staggered, rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand.

"You're more cunning than I remembered. So there's a fox somewhere inside you," Kisame remarked.

Nagayoshi gave Kisame a satisfied smirk all the while setting a fighting stance. "I know strength isn't really my forte. Therefore, I have to come up with something to cover my lack of strength."

"Then I guess I've underestimated you too much." Kisame grabbed the hilt of his strange sword with both hands and lifted it from the ground, holding it out straight affront. With a push from his foot, he dashed forward, roaring as he swung his humongous sword at the girl. Nagayoshi evaded to Kisame's side and spun to give him a back roundhouse kick. The grin on Kisame's face enlarged and the hilt of Samehada elongated; the sword found its own way to attack Nagayoshi. The girl was completely not expecting Samehada's trick and out of impulse, with one chakra-coated hand, she shielded herself. Samehada slammed her like a bull and threw her away.

Nagayoshi grunted from the slam and quickly regained her footing, drawing drag marks on the soil as she tried to hold her body to the ground. She gave her shielding hand a glance; the chakra that coated it was gone and her hand was bleeding, caused by several scratches. Did Samehada succeed penetrating her last-minute shield? She had to admit that it wasn't really a shield; it was just to cushion the impact by solidifying as much chakra as possible.

Then she remembered. It was a mistake to use chakra as a shield, especially against Samehada, the Chakra Eater. She scowled at her stupidity and she could see Kisame jeering at her mistake from his smug face. Still, she never expected Samehada to move on its own in the first place. Kisame, as he had shown her, also has some tricks of his own.

The blue swordsman dashed forward again, this time putting more speed. He knew that inside Nagayoshi's mind, she was thinking that attacking with the same method will not work anymore. Now what will she do next?

Much to Kisame's surprise, Nagayoshi thrust her good-handed arm forward, its palm glowing with blue light that increased in intensity. Kisame readied his sword to absorb the chakra. While his mind was focusing to defend himself, he failed to notice three lightning streaks rocketing towards him from three different directions: left, right, and above, until they were just a foot from him. Changing his plan immediately, he made Samehada circle around him and devour the chakra out of the jutsu. Using the absence of Samehada from Kisame's front, Nagayoshi shouted, "_Raihou!_" and shot a powerful jutsu made out of a hundred lightning strike bound together.

Kisame gritted his teeth and stored Samehada on his back. He rapidly made a set of hand seals and gallons of water gushed from his mouth, forming a thick wall of water in front of him. He cut the water stream before the lightning jutsu hit him so he would not be electrocuted. However, that didn't stop _Raihou_ from rocketing forward and through his defensive wall of water. Out of the water, _Raihou_ hit Kisame right on the chest and propelled him off, breaking through several trees with alarming booms.

Nagayoshi watched as she caused the older shinobi fly away, far from her. She panted slightly; she mustered a lot of chakra into the recent _Raihou_. If she didn't, Kisame would have just absorbed it empty. She even added three rods of _Takogesu Sanran _as an addition, just in case _Raihou_'s chakra was not enough. And from her point of view, her large chakra sacrifice worked. She jogged towards her sparring opponent to make sure whether he was damaged, but not so much as dead or incapacitated. She found an Akatsuki uniform cloak, scorched slightly in the middle but otherwise intact. The wearer, however, was another seven meters further. He sprawled on the ground, surrounded by broken logs and blood trickled from both edges of his mouth. There were bruises all over his body, as well as some scratches and a nasty burn mark on his bare blue chest. His sword lay harmlessly a little further from his right hand.

As Nagayoshi stepped closer towards him, he chuckled with a little pain in his voice. He struggled to sit up, wood chips falling off from his body and hair. "Was that a payback for the nasty throw I did to you in our first spar? Not bad," he remarked, wincing to the burn on his chest. His condition made Nagayoshi feel bad inside. She thought she had gone a bit too far with this sparring. Even so, she spoke nothing. She watched him standing up while picking up his sword, now completely free of its white cloth bindings. Kisame supported himself on Samehada, and that was when the unexpected happened.

The scratches and bruises all over Kisame's body disappeared. Even the burn on his chest also disappeared. He straightened his posture and flexed the muscles on his neck and arm. He wiped the trickles of blood from his mouth. The grin returned to his face again.

"It wasn't easy, but I managed to suck all of the chakra from all of your jutsus. Yeah, it was a bit too much for Samehada to take, that's why I let some hit me. However, I've to take off my cloak; I don't have a spare in my wardrobe, you see," Kisame said. His first sentence caused Nagayoshi's eyes to widen in disbelief. She thought she had him overwhelmed, but no. It appeared that she underestimated Samehada's capability to devour chakra.

Kisame grabbed the hilt of his large blade. Seeing that, Nagayoshi braced her extendable baton, preparing herself for another round of brawl. The blue swordsman lifted his sword and rested it on his shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak.

"I forfeit."

* * *

**It wasn't easy writing this. All over the years, I think I have softened and that caused the decreasing quality of my action scenes. I have to feed myself a lot of fighting scenes from my early writings of 'Bird Cloth' because that's where I feel my action-writing is strongest.**

**And, yeah, I think Hidan and Nagayoshi will bicker a lot...although it doesn't mean she hates him. ._.**


	28. The Crab Date

**Chapter 28: The Crab Date**

* * *

"I forfeit," Kisame said, raising his empty hand in the air. Nagayoshi's eyes widened further.

"Wa-wait! You can't forfeit! You just recovered fully! Are you being a coward?" Nagayoshi protested. Although she knew that, in a sense, Kisame was being unfair, she wanted the match to go on. He wanted the spar, why did he decide to stop? Nagayoshi could not accept his withdrawal from the battlefield that easily.

"No, I'm being wise," Kisame replied, tapping twice on Nagayoshi's cheek as he walked past her. "Besides…" Kisame kicked the back of Nagayoshi's knee. It was a weak kick—a practice dummy wouldn't even budge—but Nagayoshi dived into the grass with a thud. "You're exhausted. That last jutsu consumed much of your chakra. You can't possibly continue fighting me like that," he added. He was bending down to pick up his cloak when Nagayoshi rose fumingly from the ground.

"Well, you cheated! I had you beaten up good, but you used your extra chakra reserves to heal yourself!" Nagayoshi snapped. "I didn't even know you could do that!"

"If you knew, what'd you do?" Kisame asked, buttoning his cloak up. Nagayoshi gave him a confused stare. He approached her, squatted before her, and held her chin up. "This is a spar, lassie. Even if I go serious, I'd still hold back or I'll kill you. By now, you should have realized how my power exceeds yours. If you want to kill me that bad, then I'll let you find something from me to hate and then we can have a death match."

"I don't want to kill you…" she trailed off. She stopped arguing, since she lost. "Sorry…I guess I was a bit too carried away. I don't hold back much during my usual spars."

Kisame smirked. "Your usual spars? With Kakuzu? Heh, no wonder. Your fighting spirit is sort of like him in a way. I'm still surprised you guys are not related." He cackled while helping Nagayoshi up to her feet again. However, instead of letting the girl go once her feet were on the ground again, he lifted her further on his arm, like a man carrying a toddler.

Nagayoshi squeaked and squirmed. She tried pushing off, but Kisame held her firmly. "Wh-what are you doing?!" she screeched, partially from embarrassment.

Kisame half-frowned. "We have another agenda, remember? I can't believe you forget that too!"

Amidst her blushing face, Nagayoshi recalled her recent deals with Kisame. Other than the spar, she promised him another thing. She blushed harder and covered her face with one hand, sighing. She lowered her hand, but it still covered the most vividly colored part of her face. "Does it really have to be today? It's almost sundown," said Nagayoshi. She realized she was making an excuse, one of the things Kisame disliked, but she ignored that for now. Her mental was not ready.

"When else can we have it? I might be assigned to another mission tomorrow. Today is the only time I can do it."

Nagayoshi sighed; Kisame took that as a sign of surrender. He leapt off, heading further from the base. Nagayoshi looked around. She was in an unfamiliar area. The dense forest soon became more clamorous. She recognized the sound as a large volume of water hitting the earth. With that, she figured out that they were closer to Amegakure Village. They were probably near the large village's border.

At last, the two of them escaped the darkness of the forest and a waterfall greeted them. There was a bridge close to the waterfall and on the other side, a forest of bamboo spread. Kisame did not stop running to marvel the scenery. He kept going, and to Nagayoshi's surprise, he was heading straight to the waterfall. He jumped a bit higher from the bridge's level before making contact with the waterfall. Nagayoshi was expecting to be flattened against a rock behind the rushing water or swept away by the river, but instead, she found herself to be in a dark place.

Kisame put her down and she immediately summoned two lightning hummingbirds to light up the dark cave. There was nothing but rocks. They were slightly damp and covered in moss. The temperature in the cave was significantly colder than outside. Nagayoshi walked forward, her hummingbirds hovering a meter or two in front of her to light the way. Kisame watched her marvel the cave with a smirk.

"How did you find this cave?" asked Nagayoshi, whisking her head towards Kisame. Her eyes glimmered with awe.

Kisame shrugged. "I like to explore around places. Of course, I didn't find this place by slamming myself against the waterfall." He grabbed Nagayoshi's hand and walked further into the cave. "Come, I'll show you."

Kisame lead the girl further into the darkness. It seemed that Kisame had learned the path around the cave by heart that, even without the hummingbirds, he could still lead Nagayoshi into wherever he was taking her. They walked silently; only the sound of water dropping onto the rocky ground and their footsteps filled in the silence. The dark cave soon brightened up and it was not because of Nagayoshi's glowing hummingbirds. The sunlight from outside found a way into the heart of the cave. There was another entrance somewhere in the lush forest.

The heart of the cave's size was many times more spacious than the corridor-like entrance. It was mainly filled with water, probably from the same river as the waterfall covering the secret entrance. Nagayoshi was not sure how deep the water was and water dripping onto the surface did not help her determine the depth. She instructed one of her hummingbirds to fly further inside and intensify the light of its body. She found several islands of rock and stalagmites, some of which merged with the stalactites from above. She gasped in awe.

"Pretty cool, eh?" Kisame grinned. He watched Nagayoshi hopping onto a rock island a little bit to the middle of indoor cave pool.

"It's awesome! I've never seen anything like this!" Nagayoshi exclaimed, her mouth forming a big smile. She was a child setting foot for the first time in the world's biggest toy store. Looking at her excited face softened the grin on Kisame's face into a small smile.

The blue swordsman hopped onto the same island as she. "You know, you're the first person I ever brought here," he said.

"You're kidding. Not even Itachi has been here before?" Her face beamed more when Kisame shook his head. She turned to Kisame and smiled. "It's a beautiful place, Kisame. Thank you for bringing me here," she said.

Kisame grinned again. "Well, I'm glad you like it! It's a great boost for our date, isn't it?"

Nagayoshi, who was beginning an attempt to cross the other half of the pool, for some reason tripped over a nonexistent stone and almost dived nose first into the water if Kisame failed to catch her. Kisame was surprised at first, but he remembered Nagayoshi also did a similar thing when they were conversing on the top of the roof, waiting for Kakuzu's wrath fit to cease. He cackled as he helped Nagayoshi to her feet again. Nagayoshi pouted and crossed her arms, throwing her blushing face off crossly. She started to hate Kisame's teases, although she had to admit it was very kind of him to say something like that. Unless he didn't really mean them….

Kisame ruffled Nagayoshi's hair as he laughed. "I always thought a chatty person has the lowest level of shyness, but after seeing you doing all those weird antics, I was convinced it wasn't always the case," Kisame said. He still hadn't stopped laughing. Nagayoshi turned her back on him in embarrassment. The blue swordsman held both of her shoulders as if the girl was about to leave him alone and go back to base angrily. Even so, he was still laughing.

At which point, Nagayoshi spotted a heap of what it seemed to be a shell. Her embarrassment disappeared in an instant as she questioned what shell that was and where it came from. Without looking back, she grabbed Kisame on the collar of his cloak, pulled him down to her level, and pointed at the shell. It ticked her that Kisame seemed to be enjoying being treated harshly. Sweeping her annoyance aside, she asked, "What is that?"

Kisame followed the direction pointed by Nagayoshi's finger and saw the shell. He answered, "Oh, that was my dinner the last time I visited here. I think that was…three weeks ago."

Nagayoshi's eye twitched. "Your…dinner?" She gulped. "I know you have a monstrous appetite, but to finish an animal _that_ size? Wait—what animal is that, anyway?!"

Just as Nagayoshi asked, a sound of water gushing was heard somewhere behind her. Having his collar freed, Kisame turned around and said, "Speaking of the devil!"

Nagayoshi quickly turned to face the animal, but once she set eyes on the creature, her jaws dropped to the rocky floor of the island she and Kisame were standing on. How could she guess that the animal was a crab? A gigantic, ten-meter crab, even! She was lost for words until Kisame grabbed his sword and rested it on his shoulder.

"What the hell is that?!" Nagayoshi snapped, pointing at the crab.

"It's a crab, duh," Kisame answered matter-of-factly.

"I know that!" Nagayoshi barked, punching Kisame on his arm. "I can't believe your stomach has that much room for one of these!"

"Actually, the last one was only six meters. This one's way bigger."

"Six meters is still big!"

The giant crab snapped both of its claws, one of which was bigger than the other. It thrust the bigger one forward at the two shinobis. They leapt aside, letting the pincer to smash against the rock island. Nagayoshi ran for hiding behind a stalagmite, but Kisame ran forward with Samehada prepared to shred the crab's shell as if it was paper. It worked that way the last time he hunted a giant crab in this cave.

Much to his surprise, the sharp protrusions of Samehada was unable to tear it down. They only penetrated an inch of the shell. And it was the belly of the crab that Kisame attacked—the weakness of every crab. Using this chance, the crab grabbed Kisame with its smaller pincer and smashed the swordsman into the water. The part of the pool where the crab stood were shallow and Kisame's back quickly and painfully met the rocky bottom.

"Kisame!" Nagayoshi shouted. She came out of her hiding place and shot a small _Raihou_, strong enough to slice through the crab's pincer joint.

A projectile of water shark burst out of the water beneath the crab, pushing the crustacean with a powerful force that it tumbled upside down. Having a semi-flat back was a disadvantage for the crab; it could not move back to standing position. It wriggled its legs, but to no avail.

Nagayoshi rushed towards Kisame, seeing the swordsman emerge from underwater. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Compared to what you did to me during the spar, this was nothing. Anyway, I don't know that you actually worry about me," Kisame replied, a naughty smirk flashed from his face.

Nagayoshi's cheeks reddened slightly. "I-I did not! Why should I worry about you? In the end, you'll just suck the chakra you got during the fight and recover!" Nagayoshi turned her back against him and crossed her arms again. She gritted her teeth when Kisame laughed.

His laughter ceasing, Kisame scrutinized over the troubled crab. "That's too bad," he said. "The crab's too big that I can't cut its shell through. Well, not with Samehada, that is. If only I have Zabuza's sword…"

Nagayoshi turned around with a whoosh, her teeth gritted more tightly with sheer upset. "You mean I used _Raihou_ for nothing?! ARGH!" Nagayoshi growled. She ran her hands on her hair. "Ugh…we also don't have the tools or the fire to boil it!"

"It's not for nothing. Relax!" said Kisame. "I said I couldn't cut the shell. My sword can't do it. But your jutsu can." He saw Nagayoshi making an expression of disbelief, so he added, "Just cut the legs and the pincer. You're right about not having the tools or the fire to cook the entire body. Too bad…it looks delicious."

Nagayoshi sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll cut it for you," she said, with a slight hint of reluctance. She formed a set of hand seals and said, "_Takogesu Sanran!_" Usually, she would use the jutsu by planting the lightning rods underground or around the enemy, but this time, the rods went straight from her hands and through the joints of the crab's legs. The legs splashed into the pool, causing big ripples on the shallow water surface. They wriggled for a while, but eventually, they stopped.

Kisame barked in excitement. It had been a long time since he had a large dinner, even if it was only the legs and the claw. But his excitement was cut short as he heard Nagayoshi blowing a long exhale and leaning her back against the rocky wall. Kisame felt a bit guilty, seeing how tired she looked with the sweating and the panting. He approached her and asked, "You okay?"

"I think so. I didn't expect my chakra to be _this_ drained."

"You shouldn't have used a good load of it during the spar then. Now look what you did to yourself."

"We were on a combat! Of course I have to use it! It was you who took it all from me!" Nagayoshi snapped. Much to Kisame's surprise, she still could argue this much even when exhausted. Now he understood why Kakuzu often had a headache dealing with her.

Kisame sighed. "Does it really matter that you win against me?" he asked. His voice was softer than usual. Even the way he looked at her was somewhat different.

Nagayoshi did not answer. She looked away.

"Do you want your chakra back?" asked Kisame.

"If it's possible, then yes," Nagayoshi answered sourly.

Kisame chuckled. "It's not 100% guaranteed of success, but I'll give it a try. As long as you don't keep frowning on me," he said as he held both of Nagayoshi's upper arms. He leaned in and placed his lips on hers. Nagayoshi was startled by the intimacy and attempted to shove him away from her, but instead, she melted and kissed back. She circled her arms around his back; his cloak was heavily soaked from being dunked by the giant crab.

Kisame then involved his tongue; he licked her bottom lip with a gentleness Nagayoshi thought he never had. Her body temperature rose as she coyly let his pink muscle in. It was a new experience for her. Last time she was kissed, it was by the late Erai and he never—was not given the chance to—slipped his tongue into the kiss. Maybe Erai was holding back; Nagayoshi was thirteen and Erai, despite looking younger than her, was actually in his twenties.

It was weird at first to be able to taste the insides of each other, but Nagayoshi soon found pleasure in doing it and encouraged herself to do the same. Her tongue immediately made contact with his teeth. Despite their sharp appearance, Kisame's teeth were quite harmless unless a certain amount of pressure was applied. Feeling her tongue roaming in his mouth, Kisame sighed in bliss. He moved one hand to the back of her head and brought her closer than she already had.

They broke apart a few moments later. They looked at each other's eyes, half-lidded and overwhelmed with ecstasy. They discovered a new beauty in each other. And for once, Nagayoshi could see Kisame's face bearing a brighter color than usual.

Kisame's wide grin returned. "Is your chakra back?" he asked.

"I'm not sure…" Nagayoshi answered shyly. "I think I might have given mine more to you."

Kisame chuckled and ruffled Nagayoshi's hair playfully. Nagayoshi returned his chuckle by smiling.

**|-oOo-|**

They spent the night consuming the giant crab legs. They finished all, thanks to both their monstrous appetite. Kisame joked about needing to spend twice the money should he take Nagayoshi to dinner like people normally do. Nagayoshi denied that she ate as much as he did and she was able to finish as much crab meat as he was because she was exhausted, hungry, and Kisame gave some of his portion to her.

After that, they just sat in front of the fire, talking. Nagayoshi sat in front of Kisame, her back resting against his currently bare chest, since he had to dry his cloak. His muscular arms circled around her shoulders. It was another new experience for Nagayoshi, and probably for Kisame too. Being stuck in a lifestyle that does not let them to roam around the world, get to know with random people, having love affairs with different people much made moments such as this very rare and precious. To be able to experience it means the goddess of fortune hasn't forgotten about them.

"Hey, Nagayoshi," Kisame called, opening a new topic. Nagayoshi made a sound indicating that she was listening. "After you told me about how you found out about your father, and hearing that both of your parents are both from the same village as I was, I did a little research on my own."

"What kind of research?" Nagayoshi asked. She craned her neck to look at him this time. She knew what Kisame was telling her was something very important.

"During the years I grew and lived in Kirigakure, I've heard of great lightning jutsu users. However, there is one clan whose people specialize in lightning jutsu and electricity manipulation. The clan's not too well-known outside Land of Water, but inside, they're…well, famous. I've never worked or got to know one before, but I heard their abilities bear some resemblance with yours."

Nagayoshi turned her body around completely. Her eyes widened with eagerness; her curled fists emphasized just that. Her burst of spirit startled Kisame, even though he was kind of expecting such reaction. Nagayoshi inhaled fiercely. "You mean to tell me…" she purposely ended her sentence trailing. Even though her guts may know what Kisame was going to say next, she still wanted him to say it.

"Yeah," Kisame continued, "I may have a clue of who your mother is."

The next thing he knew, he was tumbling backwards due to Nagayoshi's sudden bear hug. He hacked a little; Nagayoshi's arms constricted his neck like a python. Yet, he could feel her body tremble in excitement.

"Thank you, Kisame!" she whispered to the crook of his neck. "Thank you…"

Kisame didn't reply. He circled his arms around her waist, and even though Nagayoshi's face sported a smile, Kisame did not. He shared no mutual happiness with the girl in his arms, despite being the one who delivered the good news. However, he refused to show his lack of positive empathy when her face was in front of his.

* * *

**Teehee. After so many drafting, this is the final result of Kisame and Nagayoshi's start of their relationship. I've paired Nagayoshi and Kisame way far before writing this saga, FYI. And if you've seen my profile in FF or DA, I guess you should've known. I'm sorry though, if you disagree. **

**And blame Kisame's blood type (AB) for the unusual taste of dating site! (Wait, my blood type's AB too! XD)**


	29. A Night at Rihara's

**Chapter 29: A Night at Rihara's**

* * *

"I can't believe you're leaving me already," Kisame said, half-whining. He was sitting on his bed, his muscular blue arms coiled around Nagayoshi's thickly clothed waist. "The winter break has just started!"

Nagayoshi chuckled and freed herself from Kisame's captive. She turned to face Kisame; the blue swordsman once again caught her waist. "I told you so many times! The winter break is the only time Oniisan and I can go looking for my mother without Pain-sama's restrictions. I could've gone alone, but—"

"No," Kisame interjected, sharp and clear.

"But that exactly! And I don't want to bring you along since the location is in your home country. Your face is too well-known there and we would be running from Kirigakure ANBU instead of looking for my mother."

Kisame sighed and rested his head on Nagayoshi's chest. It wasn't the first time he did this, but Nagayoshi still blushed every time. "I shouldn't have told you…" he muttered.

"Why? It's thanks to you that I have a clue of where to look. Land of Water is a big country. It'll take weeks, months if we're unlucky, without your help, Kisame," said Nagayoshi. "Not to mention that you also provided a passkey to enter the country without being detected."

Kisame sighed again, earning him a confused look from the girl in his arms. He looked to her face with a look that expressed a great worry. "Just…don't be reckless, okay?" he pleaded.

Nagayoshi sat on his lap and held the sides of his face. "I don't know what's bothering you since you don't want to tell me, but I promise I'll be alright." She smiled and softly planted a kiss on Kisame's blue lips.

It was unfathomable, even to her, that she and Kisame had been going out for eight months. She thought they were going to last for only a few weeks, a month perhaps. Deidara and Hidan even thought they were only going to last for two weeks maximum; Hidan noting that Nagayoshi was just a teenager engulfed in her raging hormones. Nagayoshi couldn't even explain how she and Kisame could last so long. Time just passed by like floating leaf on a river and before she realized, it was eight months already. She even lost her virginity two weeks after she turned seventeen in July. Her awkwardness around him had dissipated and she could converse with Kisame like they used to.

A knock on the door was heard, followed by a raspy deep voice. "Are we going or not?" asked Kakuzu. Not far behind him, there was Hidan. They were not wearing their Akatsuki uniform cloak, but regular winter outfit instead. Their scratched headbands were replaced with a false unscathed one. It was Kakuzu's idea in order to stay in low profile and as a safety measure to not let the existence of Akatsuki known to public just yet.

"Why do I have to tag along with your search party? Why can't her boyfriend replace me?" Hidan complained while picking his nose. Inside his room, Kisame who heard Hidan's complaint agreed with him in his mind.

"Don't be a fool, brat. Kisame came from Kirigakure and he's infamous too," Kakuzu replied. "Oh, and you're coming along as an extra muscle. Be happy. For once, I acknowledge your abilities in fighting. Besides, wouldn't it be boring for a hot head like you to stay cooped inside the base until spring comes?"

"Tch. Now that you put it that way…"

The door to Kisame's room swung open, showing an enthusiastic Nagayoshi and a reluctant Kisame. "Here's your sister," Kisame said.

The four of them walked to the main entrance tunnel of the base. Kisame stopped right before the door as per Kakuzu's order. "You go any further and you'll make the parting difficult for her," Kakuzu said. Kisame grimaced, but he obliged nonetheless. The blue swordsman watched as the figure of his girlfriend disappeared into the belly of the tunnel.

Lifting the nonexistent weight off his chest, he turned around, only to find Itachi standing not far from him. Itachi stared at his unique eyes with an imbedded message. Kisame blinked, questioning the purpose of the way Itachi set his eyes on him. "Itachi-san?"

**|-oOo-|**

Kisame was not the only one providing help and access to the Land of Water: Herasagi and Jito's sailor friend, Hajime, helped too. Herasagi told one of her sons, which in this case is Jito's father, Rihara, that Nagayoshi and two friends were coming to stay for a while. Herasagi and Jito had told the rest of the Kandori family about Nagayoshi, their long lost relative. Although, as the old tea shop owner said to Nagayoshi, the Kandoris were curious to know how she looked like, Nagayoshi was a little bit unconfident to meet the extended family of her father's side.

The Kandoris have no criminal record, except for one son of Herasagi who once used drugs. But it was only drug using. Nagayoshi had stolen properties and defected from her village. Not only that, she was raised by a group of high-ranking criminals and was having a love affair with one of its members. As much she endeared Akatsuki, for normal people, it wasn't something to be proud of.

Much to Kakuzu's amazement, the passkey Kisame gave them was still valid, hence letting them all sail into the Land of Water undetected. As soon as they entered the border, their vision was limited by thick layer of mist. It was courtesy of this natural phenomenon that Kirigakure garnered its name from. The air began to drop a few degrees and became damper with all the water particles around them. It was understandable why this place could have given birth to many high grade killers and assassins, including Hoshigaki Kisame himself.

The ship arrived at the harbor and, despite the mist, Nagayoshi could discern a figure of a man standing on the dock. She approached that man—a black bearded man in his forties –as soon as she set her foot off the ship. Unseen by the man, Nagayoshi gulped before encouraging herself to address him.

"Are you Nagayoshi?" asked the man before Nagayoshi could ask the same question.

She nodded awkwardly. "Rihara-san?" she asked back, although it seemed very obvious that that man was her father's twin brother.

Rihara smiled. "If Rishin were still alive, you would've recognized me already," he said with a good-humored nature about him.

Nagayoshi laughed hesitantly. "I suppose."

Rihara's eyes widened a little when he saw Kakuzu and Hidan approaching his niece from behind. Nagayoshi noticed the look in his eyes and she couldn't help but gritted her teeth. It wasn't his fault if Rihara was shocked to see the face of the man who raised her. Then she heard him say, "Which one of you is Kakuzu?"

"I am," answered the masked shinobi. "The other one is just an older kid I have to babysit."

"Who are you calling 'older kid', you fucking bastard?!" Hidan roared at Kakuzu. Nagayoshi could not resist the urge to slap her palm onto her forehead.

"I'm…I'm sorry if we're bringing a hassle to your house, Rihara-san…" Nagayoshi muttered. Maybe she shouldn't have let Hidan come along….

Rihara chuckled lightheartedly, tapping his warm hand on Nagayoshi's shoulder. "It's alright, Nagayoshi. It's already a hassle at home with my daughters. You have no idea how chatty they are."

**|-oOo-|**

And Rihara wasn't kidding. The moment they arrived at his house, his young daughters, Nanami and Futamichi, attacked the arriving guests with squeals of excitement. When they heard that Nagayoshi lived the life of a criminal and had endured through many injuries, they were not expecting her to look like any of them. Nanami went as far as cuddling an awkward Nagayoshi and admired her 165-centimeter stature since she and Futamichi stood much shorter than Nagayoshi. The two girls agreed to call her 'Naga-nee'.

Rihara's wife greeted them inside the house with a warm hospitality. She was visibly younger than Rihara, maybe around mid-thirties. Her young appearance might be a result of her high-spirited personality, which explained how her daughters could be so boisterous.

They arrived right when Rihara's wife, Wakana, was cooking dinner. The hungry Hidan immediately sat before the dinner table, waiting for dinner eagerly. The aroma was flirtatious with his smelling. If it weren't for Kakuzu's strong demand for him to behave, he would have been howling for food. Even during dinner, Nanami and Futamichi could not get their attention off Nagayoshi.

"I suppose it isn't like this in Akatsuki, is it?" asked Rihara, amused by the view of Nagayoshi being pestered around by her daughters.

"Not at all!" Nagayoshi answered, raising her voice to force the girls to stop talking to her because she was talking to their father. "In fact, we don't do this—eating dinner together like this. We do have a dining room at the base, but it's rarely used for something like this. We prefer to eat in our room or outside."

"Then why don't you just stay with us, Naga-nee?" Futamichi pleaded. "You can have dinner together with us every day!"

Nagayoshi smiled to the thirteen-year-old. "Thanks, but it's impossible. Here, at least." The younger of the daughters pouted in disappointment. Nagayoshi ignored her afterwards and turned her attention to her uncle. "Rihara-san, about what brings me here—"

"Aw, come on!" Nanami interjected with gusto, surprising everyone in the dining room except her mother and sister. Hidan nearly choked on his meal. "You just came and you immediately start talking about work? It's almost Deity Day! You should relax and enjoy the different Kirigakure from what you heard!"

"Wait, who said it's about work—"

"I know! Naga-nee, let's go to the public bath with us!" Nanami interjected yet again. This time, her younger sister responded with the same glee as she.

Futamichi squealed. "Yes! Pleasepleaseplease, Naga-nee!"

Nagayoshi was reluctant to go. She had a more important task to do at hand and as much as she wanted to get to know her extended family, she must find her mother first. Nagayoshi glanced to Kakuzu, searching for a help, whether it was distracting the girls, or…

"Go," Kakuzu said. Nagayoshi's bodily colors washed out from her skin. The masked-nin added, "I'll cover it for you. Don't worry."

"Oy, Kakuzu. Why can't we go to the public bath too? You know, in my home village, every house has its own natural hot bath," Hidan said. His gaze wandered in nostalgia of his home village which, as its name suggested, was famous for the abundant number of hot springs.

Kakuzu glared at the silver-haired young man. "That is a stupid question."

Nagayoshi sighed and turned to her cousins. Slowly and glumly, she nodded. The next thing she knew, she was constricted by the arms of two teenage girls. The affection overwhelmed her.

**|-oOo-|**

Rihara sighed. "Forgive my daughters, Kakuzu-san. I hope they don't disturb you in your dinner," he said. Kakuzu and Rihara decided to sit around in the same room, but with a _kotatsu_* table instead of a regular one. Hidan was in the kitchen, acting as a food tester for Wakana's cooking. The housewife wanted to prepare some hot snacks for the girls once they come back.

"To be honest, I think it's not me you should be apologizing to. The girls never really bothered me," Kakuzu answered. "Anyway, don't we have an important matter to discuss?"

Rihara blinked and fixed his stature that was previously slumped. He opened his ears, preparing himself to listen what Kakuzu wanted to say. "My mother told me that you three come here in search of Nagayoshi's mother, is that true?"

Kakuzu nodded. "Furthermore, a colleague of mine did some research of his own and possibly has figured out a possible clan name of Kirigakure origin."

"There aren't as many formidable clan names in Kiri, unlike Konoha, but I can always look it up in the national archives, in case the clan is not too well-known."

"I doubt you'll have to take a trip to the library, Rihara-san," Kakuzu said. "My colleague told me the clan is pretty famous in Kirigakure. And it even comes with a long name."

"A long name?"

"What do you know of the 'Azumakoha' clan?" Kakuzu asked.

At the sound of the long name, Rihara froze. The doors and windows were closed and sealed the cold winter outside, yet it seemed like the cold air found its way to Rihara's body. He nearly dropped the cup of black tea in his hand. He put the cup down on the table before his fingers failed. His face scrunched.

Noticing the suspicious wrinkles that suddenly nestled on his forehead, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. In his experience asking about names, expressions such as this always brought bad news. Kakuzu did not know what was going on inside this man's mind, but he began to guess what his next move would be. He could say that he never heard of the clan name 'Azumakoha' before; he could suddenly kick Kakuzu and Hidan out of the house and asked them to stay away from him and his family; he could suddenly go berserk. However, since this man was Herasagi's son, Kakuzu rooted for the best out of the above options.

"Kakuzu-san," Rihara muttered; his voice heavy with the ragged breathing. "Are you implying that Rishin, my brother, had an affair with one of the clan members?"

"I'm still not sure yet. What is it? From your face, I know that you recognize that name. What about it?" Kakuzu pressed on asking.

"Did your colleague tell you that this clan is famous? Well, let me tell you, 'famous' is not exactly the right word to describe this clan. Notorious is more like it," Rihara answered.

Kakuzu's muscular fist dropped onto the table. His eyes had narrowed more. This time, his forehead was full of wrinkles. "Tell me everything you know," he muttered darkly.

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi's face heated up. The cause could be the steam from the hot bath, or because her discomfort being naked with so many people around, despite all of them being female. Much to her cousins' disbelief, this was Nagayoshi's first trip to the hot bath. But it was true: Nagayoshi never went to the hot bath before. When she was still learning about the life of ninjas, Kakuzu told her intimidating stories of many ninjas getting caught or killed in the hot bath. Kakuzu even said he experienced it once when he was young, but in his case, he killed his pursuer and left before reinforcements came.

Nagayoshi hoped what happened to Kakuzu would not happen to her. It would be weird fighting with almost no clothes but a towel. Although Kisame might enjoy such fight with her…

Nagayoshi slammed her head against the edge of her locker, startling an elderly woman beside her. Her face flushed red at the momentary erotic thought. It ticked her; whenever she and Kisame were separated by the borders of the country, her imaginations went wild. The blue ex-Kiri swordsman had taken her innocence, not just physically, but mentally as well. If Hidan ever got an access to her mind, he wouldn't stop making fun of her.

Futamichi gleefully dived into the indoor hot spring. Nanami was about to follow, but she turned around to address her cousin. "Naga-nee, hurry up!" She took off her towel and slowly dipped herself into the hot spring.

Nagayoshi sighed and walked towards the reservoir of hot water. She walked pass a grown woman and noticed that she had several scars on her arm, shoulder, and legs. Yet, Nagayoshi could not deny that she was still beautiful. She thought maybe her standards of 'beauty' have decreased, but she had to marvel that woman's charm. So there was still some hope to stay physically attractive even with a number of scars. Later, she spotted other women whose body bore battle scars.

She was only a step away from the hot spring and undid her white towel, revealing her figure to her cousins. Nagayoshi was not very curvaceous, unlike Konan. She was somewhere between skinny and chubby. Her breasts, although not D-cup-and-above large, were still able to pronounce their existence if she wore baggy clothes. She had some muscles, courtesy of Kakuzu's harsh physical training for years. However, it wasn't those factors that drew the eyes of Nanami and Futamichi to her.

Striking diagonally from her shoulder down to her stomach was a large scar she received from Ryouken's animal claws. The late Hokko once offered to heal the wound until there was no scar left, but Nagayoshi refused, knowing that every time Hokko healed others, he was giving his own life force. Since the new skin that made the scar was slightly thinner than the rest of her body, the scar became sensitive to touches. The sensitivity was taken advantage by Kisame, who found beauty in the scar's unfriendly look.

Nagayoshi quickly sank herself into the hot water until nobody could see her large scar again. She thought scars were a normal thing, since she spotted so many women bearing some, but why did her cousins have to stare at her like that?

"Where did you get that scar, Naga-nee?" asked Futamichi with a huge interest.

"My brother's ex-partner did this to me. I was thirteen at the time," Nagayoshi answered. Hearing the way Futamichi asked about it, she felt a little safer.

"What? You were my age when you got that?!" she shrieked.

"How about the one on the back?" asked Nanami this time, pointing at the ragged X of black threads on Nagayoshi's back.

"This? This isn't a scar. It's an implanted jutsu. Oniisan has the same thing too. But…I'm not going to show it here. It's…sort of a secret."

Nanami and her sister nodded. Futamichi then went off to swim around the hot spring and met her friend from the academy. For instant, she forgot that Nagayoshi and Nanami were at the same place too. The older of the sisters sat beside Nagayoshi and they talked—well, Nanami did most of it.

Nagayoshi learned that Nanami and Futamichi did not come from the same mother as Jito. Jito's birth mother died from food poisoning during a mission. Jito was just four years old when it happened. Nagayoshi also learned the reason why Jito left the life of ninjas was a severe leg injury. He may be walking now, but Nanami told her that if he used his legs to deal heavy impacts such as kicking or running and jumping too much, his brittle bones will fail and he will never be able to walk again. Jito desperately tried to heal his legs by learning medical ninjutsu, but to no avail. Thankfully, he found a new way of living by serving tea and snacks, which was just a hobby when he was still a ninja. Nanami also noted that Jito was quite known among medical ninjutsu students for his knowledge in botany.

After hearing so many surprising facts about her favorite cousin, Nagayoshi found Nanami leaning towards her with a foxy face. She seemed to have something mischievous in mind.

"So, Naga-nee," she began. She had a grin that was strangely similar to Hidan's when he first saw Nagayoshi and Kisame standing a bit too close to each other. "What do you think about the two guys that come along with you? Which one do you think is the hottest?"

Nagayoshi snorted and burst out laughing. Nanami looked at her with an eyebrow up. "Are you seriously asking me that?!" she asked in between laughter. "First of all, you don't want to go out with my brother. Well, he's older than you—way too old! And Hidan…well, he's okay. He's dumb, but not completely useless. But I think he has his eyes on someone else."

"Is that 'someone else' you?"

Nagayoshi laughed again. "Hell no! I have my own someone else—" She slapped her mouth with her own hands, realizing she had talked too much. Unfortunately, Nanami heard what she said. This time, the winning smile was on her. "Ah, shit…"

"Now, now, Naga-nee, spit it out!" She sat closer and put her mouth near Nagayoshi's ear to whisper. "So you found someone interesting in that organization of yours? Tell me who it is. I'm not leaving this bath house until you do, warn ya!"

Nagayoshi rolled her eyes. She wanted to stab herself with _Takogesu Sanran_ for being such a big mouth. Kisame and Kakuzu were right: she is a chatterbox. She sighed and muttered, "Well. He's from here."

Nanami gasped; a long gasp it was. She shoved her face at her older cousin, making Nagayoshi inch back in discomfort. "Who is it?" she said with her voice lowered.

"Why do you want to know so much? He is a nuke-nin. His name won't bring you fluffy emotions!" Nagayoshi retorted, trying to avoid talking about her relationship with someone whom she just met several hours ago, even if said person was her cousin.

"Stop avoiding my questions and answer me!" Nanami insisted.

Defeated, Nagayoshi sighed and motioned Nanami to give her ear so she could whisper to her. Very carefully, Nagayoshi raised her voice as minimally as possible while speaking the name. The name that gave her heart beat a barrier to skip on whenever she formed them with her lips. The image of him giving his wide mischievous grin flashed in her mind.

"HIM?!" Nanami shrieked, startling a few women around her. Some older women rolled their eyes, thinking she was overreacting after hearing some news regarding boys. Well, it's not like they were wrong.

Nagayoshi's eyes widened as she watched her cousin reacted to Kisame's name. Her blabbers were muted to her ears, but her expression screamed at her. Nanami's expression was similar to a finicky girl finding a heap of mashed snail in her bath tub. Then her words were audible again. What she said only intensified the sentiments expressed by her face.

"I can understand if he has problems with whatever this village has, but his attitude...ugh. It's as ugly as his outside!"

And it snapped.

Nagayoshi rose from the hot water and waded out. She was silent as she walked. However, the atmosphere of her heart gushed out from her curling fists. She paid no heed to Nanami's closing her mouth. Apparently, big mouths run in the family. Unfortunately, one of them has the smallest brain of all big mouths in the world.

"Naga-nee," Nanami called. Her voice cracked. Futamichi and her friend watched as her older sister desperately tried to keep up with Nagayoshi. "Naga-nee, please. I'm sorry, okay. I—I wasn't thinking. Please, don't hate me!" Nanami begged, finally grabbing Nagayoshi's hand.

"Don't hate you?" Nagayoshi retorted, flinging the hands that caught hers. "After what you said about him? Are you fucking serious? If you hate him so much for what you heard from your stupid rumors, then you might as well hate me! I don't care if it ruins my connection with the rest of the Kandori family. Nobody messes with my family in Akatsuki!"

Nagayoshi grabbed her clothes and dressed as quickly as possible. She wanted to leave. The sooner, the better. She rushed out of the bath house while her cousins were still half-clothed inside. Luckily, Rihara's house was not far from the bath house. And when she arrived back, the head of the household was waiting near the front door. He scratched his beard in confusion when he found Nagayoshi was alone, but when he got to see her face, he sighed in exasperation.

"Looks like Nanami's bad habit kicked in again. Am I wrong?" he asked.

Nagayoshi didn't answer, but her scowl was clear enough an answer for Rihara.

"Get inside. Your brother needs to talk to you. I've told him everything he wants."

* * *

**This is a good chapter for me since I get to explore inside Nagayoshi's opinions about modern society again, especially the mind of the average teenager. And I haven't written nude Nagayoshi since her first proper bath when she was six! That was like…almost 3 years ago! XD This chapter also features Nagayoshi's first written dirty thought.**

***) _Kotatsu_ is a table with a blanket covering its feet and a heater under it. It is used by the Japanese during winter as a source of warmth while chilling out in the room, usually the living room.**


	30. The Student Record

**Chapter 30: The Student Record**

* * *

Rihara's eyes widened when he saw Kakuzu's sharp eyes when he told the masked shinobi of Azumakoha clan's reputation being notorious. He realized that the life of his long lost niece—daughter of his deceased twin brother—may be at risk if Nagayoshi turned out to have ties with that clan. However, from Kakuzu's strong desire to know more about the notorious clan, he did not hesitate to tell what Kakuzu wanted to hear.

With his fingers rubbing the hot tea cup, Rihara answered, "Many made-up stories have been created about the clan's origins. However, the one most told is that the Azumakoha clan's founder was a direct descendant of Raijin, the god of thunder, since the clan founder had an extraordinary ability to manipulate electricity. He was said to be able to summon a hundred lightning bolts to one place. His science-defying power was his pride. He was so proud of it that he feared his descendants might lose the ability. So, he married his own sister."

"Ew! Incest!" Hidan blurted as he stepped into the dining room, having tasted enough of Wakana's snacks. Kakuzu, without diverting his attention from Rihara, extended his arm and caught the young man's face. He dragged Hidan towards him, and forced him to sit and listen without making any comments.

"His marrying his own sister became a scandal in the country and he was humiliated. In anger, he moved his family to an island not far from the country. There, he made a new clan that specializes in lightning techniques and electricity control. He named his new clan out of Raijin's kanji characters, changed its reading, and it became Azumakoha." Rihara paused; he sipped his hot tea and fixed his sitting position.

"He taught his children—twelve of them—to preserve their family's awesome heritage by marrying their siblings, cousins, or any other relative of the same clan, and strictly forbid them from having children with anyone outside the clan. If any of them broke the rule, the lover and the child shall be exterminated, the traitor be punished however the parents wanted."

At which point, Rihara sighed shakily. The grip of his fingers around the tea cup tightened. A trickle of tear slipped from his eyes and slid down to his beard. "Now it makes sense," he said. "It is possible that Rishin was hunted and killed by them."

Kakuzu did not answer. He had to agree with Rihara that Nagayoshi's father may have had an affair with one of the females from the clan. Rishin was carrying Nagayoshi when he was killed. He was trying to escape from the other clan members who tried to protect the purity of their lineage. It was miraculous how the pursuers missed Nagayoshi and indirectly gave her a chance to live and grow.

"I don't know how you're going to deliver this to Nagayoshi, Kakuzu-san," Rihara said. His voice shook from holding his great sadness.

"No problem with that. If it's me who tells it, she'll listen."

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi could not help but letting her forehead wrinkle as she heard the legend of the clan that might be her mother's clan. The story sounded ridiculous, but that was the case for many wonders of age. Not only that, the clan's law—to kill the traitor's lover and offspring should the former came from outside the clan—fit to the possibility of how her father died. Her fists curled, to the point where her tendons turned white.

"So what are you going to do now? Proceed, or abort mission?" Kakuzu asked.

There was no answer for Kakuzu for a while. The masked shinobi swore he could hear her muscles creaked as she stretched them further with her fists. He understood if it was hard. He would not stop her or force her. The big girl should make her own decision now. Kakuzu had vowed to himself that he will always support her, regardless of her choice.

"I'm glad I have Jiongu planted in me," Nagayoshi said after three long minutes. Kakuzu raised a questioning eyebrow. "I think I'm gonna get hurt, battered, or bruised." She chuckled bitterly. "Kisame's gonna be pissed."

"Are you sure?" Kakuzu asked.

Nagayoshi nodded. "I've come this far, Oniisan. I admit, I'm very nervous and scared that I'll find the wrong person. And after hearing from you about the people of the clan, I'm afraid my mom will try to kill me. But I'll never know until I find out."

"I'll kill them first if they have any intention to kill you," Kakuzu said, crossing his arms.

Nagayoshi smiled a little. She rested her head on the side of Kakuzu's arm. "You know, Kisame would be jealous if he hears what you just said."

Kakuzu scoffed. "He's already jealous just seeing you hanging around me," he said. Nagayoshi burst out laughing hearing Kakuzu's mockery on Kisame. Kakuzu smiled along.

**|-oOo-|**

And so, it was decided that Nagayoshi, Kakuzu, and Hidan will continue finding the whereabouts of Nagayoshi's mother. They left as soon as they finished breakfast. It wasn't an easy task for Hidan to do. Apparently, his stomach could not process food as soon as he wakes up. He needed an hour to 'collect back his scattering soul' before processing a foreign substance into his stomach. Waking up early was also a problem for Nagayoshi, but this time, since she was on her very own mission (though unofficial), she woke up with no problem.

Rihara escorted the three guests outside. One of her daughters stood far behind him, her eyes drooped and her fingers fiddled. Nanami then took baby steps forward, gulping several times as she made her way to her father's side. Her figure shrunk as she faced Nagayoshi. "Naga-nee," she called after another gulp, "about last night…I'm very sorry. I was stupid. I didn't think about your feelings. I'm—I'm changing this habit, you see…" she trailed off, realizing that Nagayoshi may not be interested with her excuses.

The older girl put her larger hand on top of Nanami's black hair—the same black shade as Nagayoshi's. "My feelings are still aching, but it's good that you learn something. You're a lucky girl, Nanami. You are raised by a complete family, and a kind one too. Don't let them go, no matter what."

Despite the cold air of winter, Nanami's eyes heated up, causing them to moisten. She nodded and hopped to hug the taller Nagayoshi. The hug session was cut short, as Hidan's impatience had eaten him, causing him to yank Nagayoshi out of the hug and out the front yard. Kakuzu made a quick excusing bow before following the two youngsters.

"I'll see you later!" Nagayoshi hollered, ignoring Hidan's foul-mouthed rants.

Thanks to Rihara's information, they have two possible places that may hold an answer to their question. Those are the ninja academy and the harbor. The group of three decided to split up. Kakuzu would investigate the harbor alone, while Nagayoshi and Hidan checked out the academy. Kakuzu knew his mask and headgear would bring out suspicion to the ninjas working there. Nagayoshi and Hidan, who were teenagers, could blend in better. Moreover, they didn't have any bad intentions to the academy. With no further ado, they parted ways.

On her way to the ninja academy, Nagayoshi paid attention to the villagers. She noticed the hair of most people was of colors not generally found in other parts of the world. Most of them had blue, green, or other ocean-themed colors. She also noticed that many of Kiri villagers have sharp teeth and that large weapons carried on the back were normal there. Even so, she found one or two people having an abnormal skin color. It was a rare sight, but it existed.

Her mind began to deduce what she saw. So maybe Kisame's blue skin color was not too normal for the people of Kirigakure, however, he was not alone. In Kirigakure, Kisame was not physically discriminated. In Kirigakure, Kisame was just like any of them, with one or two tweaks to the body.

Another thing that hit Nagayoshi's train of thoughts was the condition of Kirigakure itself. From what she heard from Hoshigaki Kisame himself, Kiri reeked from the stench of blood, its air polluted with screams of pain and agony. It was the worst place to raise one's children. But there she was, in the middle of the village, and the streets were as clean as it could be. Nagayoshi grimaced; Kisame left the village before he could see it change for the better. Ironically, one of the reasons he committed heavy crimes and left the village was because he was sick of the village's violent ways. It was as if Kisame carried the darkness of the village with him as he left. The thought of it made Nagayoshi's chest hurt.

"May I help you kids with something?" asked a Kirigakure shinobi. Nagayoshi blinked; she was thinking so much that she didn't realize she was already in front of the academy. She opened her mouth before Hidan could.

"I'm sorry, I just want to know if I can get an access to the history of students in this academy," Nagayoshi said, sporting her most naive face she could muster. She was a little worried about Hidan. Naive isn't something you would describe Hidan with.

"And for what purpose, if you don't mind me asking?" asked the Kiri ninja again. Getting through wasn't going to be easy, after all. He looked to Hidan who raised an eyebrow. "Your shinobi headband…you're not from here. You too," he turned to Nagayoshi, "where's your headband?"

"Oh, I'm not from any village! I was raised by a ninja, together with him, in Yuugakure. As for why I'm here, I'm here because I need to find clues about my parents. I was found orphaned, you see. I spent most of my life finding clues about my parents and those clues lead me to this village. Rihara-san told me I should start here," Nagayoshi explained. Some part of her inner conscience wanted to laugh; raised together with Hidan? What kind of cosmic joke is that?

"Rihara? You mean Kandori Rihara? How do you know him?"

"I worked for his mother, Kandori Herasagi, in a harbor village not far from here."

The face of the shinobi beamed, but there was still some suspicion in him. "Oh, is she doing okay? It's been years since I last saw her. I heard she opened a tea shop? It's…what is it again?"

"Spoonbill Tea Shop, 'Warm Drinks, Warm Drinks and Snacks All Around!'" Nagayoshi chirped as she recited the motto of the shop, complete with raising her left fist while winking. She knew every nook and cranny of that shop, more than that shinobi would've known.

"Aha, that's right!" the shinobi laughed. "Well, come in, then. You just need access to the records, right? I guess I can let you do that, with my supervision, of course."

Nagayoshi and Hidan blinked in surprise. "Oh wow, thanks! I thought you wouldn't let me because I'm not from here," Nagayoshi said. She grinned to Hidan as she followed the Kiri ninja into the academy.

"I was testing you, actually, to see if you really know her or you had just extracted information from her head. The way you say the motto and the pose, it was all correct. And you seemed you have done it many times before, which proves that you did work in her tea shop. You see, Herasagi-sensei had told me that if she were going to make a tea shop, that would be her motto. She forced me to memorize the movement and all."

"Wait, Obaachan was _your_ teacher?" Nagayoshi gaped. The Kiri ninja just laughed at it as he lead Nagayoshi and Hidan to the library. On the back corner of the room, there was a smaller room, filled with folders of student records from the beginning to the most recent.

The Kiri ninja browsed the files index and headed to a section of the north shelf. He climbed the ladder and searched for the desired year which Nagayoshi, with the help of Rihara's intel, suggested to start from.

Hidan sighed. "What if your mom turns to be older or younger than your dad? Doesn't that mean that you have to look the years above and below?" he asked. He nearly fell when Nagayoshi slapped the back of his shoulder with her wrestler girl power.

"That's a good thinking, Hidan! I'm surprised it's coming from you!" Nagayoshi beamed. "Yoshio-san, can we see records five years before and after the one I requested?"

"Whoa, wait! It's gonna take hours to finish all of that! We can't possibly bring those back!" Hidan snapped, surprised by Nagayoshi's request.

Nagayoshi put a hand on Hidan's shoulder. She smiled; a smile that she rarely used towards Hidan. It made Hidan slightly shiver. "I guess that's why you're with me, Hidan-kun," she chirped with all her innocence. The -kun she added to his name gave a spine-chilling twang to the silver-haired youngster. "Help me, and I'll spare you from becoming fish food."

"Your threats are so fucking lame," Hidan jeered. With Nagayoshi's fear of mutilated bodies, she would never think of chopping him like a pork bun. Plus, he was invincible. Even if Nagayoshi had the guts to cut him into pieces, he would still be alive. He snickered as he watched Nagayoshi's face scrunch, defeated by his stronger counterattack.

"I'll tie your hands and feet, hold your head straight, and force your mouth open. Then I will feed you vegetables, both rotten and fresh, for seven years, seven months, and seven days," Nagayoshi muttered. "Oh, and I'll cut durians in front of you every night."

Hidan twitched. He gritted his teeth.

"I may not be able to kill you, but I can torture you still. And torture devices can be as simple as vegetables." Nagayoshi's eyes sparkled with evil intentions. She laughed cunningly, confident with her simple plot to torture the silver-haired twenty-year-old. She had found it amusing to see how much Hidan loathed vegetables. "What? Do I have to make my brother spoon-feed you?"

"Fine!" Hidan snapped. "I'll help you! But you better do as much reading as much I do."

"Of course, you dumbass. It's my quest!"

**|-oOo-|**

Nagayoshi streamed the documents carefully. Children who enrolled to the academy were not only from the Kirigakure village alone, but from other small villages from islands around. Hence, the multiple classes per year. Moreover, the Land of Water's law of ninjutsu studies was different then. Due to the rather cautious nature of the Daimyo in the past, to be a full-pledged ninja, one has to study in the academy for at least three years. If not, then it would be considered as an act of treachery. So even the self-centered Azumakoha clan couldn't do anything about it and had to send their children to public school, therefore interacting with different kinds of people.

Nagayoshi searched for children whose family name was composed out of the kanji characters 'lightning' and 'god'. She found one, but it was a boy. Much to her surprise, his hair and eyes were of similar shade as hers. She paid extra attention to that boy. He was still thirteen years old at the time the record was made, but when Nagayoshi flipped the pages back and forth, she noticed that he was taller than the other boys of his year. In fact, he was even taller than his seniors. Nagayoshi looked at the extension of his name: Oumu.

Hidan nudged her while she was still entranced in her new finding. He shoved the student record he was reading, the one two years below the record in Nagayoshi's hands. He pointed at a data of a girl named Azumakoha Tsubame. Nagayoshi sat closer to Hidan and stole the record from him. She scrutinized Tsubame's data and stumbled upon a section at the bottom. The section was named 'Genin Team', listing her Genin three-man team and her Jounin instructor. Nagayoshi was hoping she would find her father's name in it, but there was not.

A thunder filled with ideas struck her. She returned to the record she previously was holding. She flipped tens of pages, looking for a page bearing the name Kandori Rishin. She missed by a few pages, but quickly noticed it and returned with a slower speed. She skipped most of the data and went to the bottom of the page instead. The name Azumakoha was present; its memorable kanji characters stood out among other scribbles of letters. Nagayoshi underlined the name with her fingers with a delicate stroke. Azumakoha Suzume… _I think I found her._

Nagayoshi flipped through the pages again and quickly found her data page, as if it wanted her to find it. Nagayoshi held her breath. She bit her lower lip, seeing who possibly could be her mother in her young appearance. Just like the other Azumakohas she and Hidan found, she had a long black hair and dark eyes. However, she somehow had a charm that the other students did not possess. Maybe it was just Nagayoshi's excited mind making everything she saw more beautiful than it really was.

"Hidan," Nagayoshi muttered, "I think I know who my mother is."

"That's great! Now how the fuck are we going to find her in this place, among these people?" Hidan asked with much sourness in his voice.

Nagayoshi cupped her chin. Hidan had a point; with the Azumakoha clan's rules, it could've been hard to find her in the main village. She had to cross the sea and sail to the island where the clan resided. But that was Kakuzu's part to investigate. She stood up, collected all the student records, and handed them back to Yoshio.

"Thanks for all the help. I think I may have figured out who my mother is," said Nagayoshi with a smile.

"No problem. So what are you going to do now?"

"Uh, I'm going to discuss this with my brother—adoptive brother. I hope he found something too." Nagayoshi was about to turn around when she remembered something. She turned back to Yoshio, who eyed her with confusion. "Yoshio-san, there's another thing I would like to you do, if that's okay with you."

Yoshio nodded. "Sure. What is it?" He watched as Nagayoshi took back the student record of her father's graduation year and flipped through the pages, stopping on one.

**|-oOo-|**

"What do you mean there's no access to the island?" Kakuzu questioned gruffly at one of the interlocal ship captains at the harbor. He held himself from breaking the nearest lamp post with his bare hands. "Then how the hell do they cross the sea from here to their island?"

The captain jerked backwards, startled by Kakuzu's burst of energy. "You don't understand, sir. What I mean is nobody but the Azumakoha clan's members can enter the island, unless one of them say otherwise. They have guards on the island, to make sure us sailors can't get off the ship. They even made a rule that sailors from the main island must do whatever business he gotta do before boarding the ship to the Narukami Island," answered the captain. He held his breath, anticipating another surge of bad feeling from Kakuzu as the masked shinobi massaged the bridge of his nose.

Much to the captain's relief, Kakuzu nodded in defeat and left the harbor. His forehead wrinkled with burdening thoughts. Rihara was right; the clan was notorious. The many rules they made for people inside and outside the clan were ridiculously numerous. All of them were for the same purpose: to protect the sanctity of the lineage.

Kakuzu sighed aloud. He decided to save the worrying for later. He had to discuss this first with Nagayoshi (and Hidan, if he chose to join the conversation). He headed to back Rihara's house; he and the two youngsters agreed to head back to the house should they had done doing some questioning and searching. While walking, Kakuzu wondered if he was first to return, or the last. He didn't feel like doing much work at the harbor. Searching through the student records should have taken longer time.

Kakuzu turned around the corner and he blinked in bewilderment. A person was standing in front of Rihara's house, its gaze directed straight to the small house. The body was covered with large black winter cape, the head concealed by the hood. Kakuzu tilted his head, wondering if that person was a man or woman, and why that person looked at Rihara's house. Kakuzu continued to walk, but his eyes never left the person's figure. As he got closer, Kakuzu noticed the person's height was only a few centimeters shorter than he was. Probably close to Hidan's height. Kakuzu crept closer and closer; the cloaked figure didn't notice his presence until he was only two meters away.

The cloaked figure gasped and darted off. Kakuzu caught the wrist and the mysterious person struggled to flee from Kakuzu's merciless grasp. During the rebellion, the hood slid off, revealing a black-haired woman. Kakuzu stopped his violence in an instance, stunned by her features which reminded him of someone very close to him. Her oval face, framed by the long, straight black hair; her shoulders, quite broad for a woman; not to mention her eyes…they were all familiar to the masked shinobi.

The woman's eyebrows furrowed and she clicked her tongue. The moment she made the sound, Kakuzu was blinded by light coming from a source he failed to notice. His distraction caused his grasp on the woman's wrist loosen. When the world turned darker again, the woman had disappeared.

* * *

**The last part…it's pretty obvious who that woman is, isn't it? And how I enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the part where Nagayoshi threatens Hidan with vegetables. But it's true! Check his Wikia entry!**


	31. Mother and Daughter

**Chapter 31: Mother and Daughter**

* * *

"Oniisan!" Nagayoshi shouted. She startled Futamichi who was about to go to a friend's house. The young girl beamed seeing that her favorite cousin has returned and hopped to hug her. Nagayoshi slipped away from her upcoming bear hug and rushed to the room she and her two male companions stayed in. "Oniisan!" she shouted again.

Kakuzu stepped out of the room and smacked his large hand onto her face. "Keep it down. You're so embarrassing," Kakuzu grumbled.

Nagayoshi pushed his hand off her face and pushed him into the bedroom. "Oniisan, I have good news. Hidan and I found out who my mother is in the academy!" Nagayoshi squealed. She could hardly contain her excitement for her success and as a result, her body kept shaking vigorously. She even threw herself into a violent hug to Kakuzu. She could have jumped out of the window if Kakuzu didn't hold her down.

After a few seconds struggling against Nagayoshi's strong passion, Kakuzu got himself to ask, "So, how does she look like?"

Nagayoshi put herself to sit still and a pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of her winter coat. "I have her picture. The picture from the student record was of her thirteen-year-old self, so I asked Yoshio-san if he has her latest picture. Well, he doesn't, but he gave me the address to the guy who took her picture for her ID. And…TADAA!" Nagayoshi shoved the envelope to Kakuzu for him to look. The masked shinobi didn't waste his time and pulled the 3R photograph.

The woman, who Nagayoshi and Hidan believed to be the former's mother, had a voluminous black hair, falling down just slightly past her shoulders. Her dark eyes pierced the surface of the photograph. Her oval face and its sharp features enhanced the strength of her eyes.

"This is her, huh?" asked Kakuzu.

"Maybe she might look a bit different now. I mean, that photo was from five years ago when she renewed her ID," answered Nagayoshi. She stretched her arms up and sighed in bliss. "That's one objective done! I'm gonna treat myself some snacks before I go on looking for her."

Kakuzu didn't pay attention when she talked and went out of the room. His eyes were fixed to the photograph, taking a staring contest with the person in it. The further he stared at the photograph, the more his eyebrows weighed on his eyes. He turned his head towards the window. It was snowing outside, but it wasn't the snow he was looking at. There was something else outside, although it was currently not present. But Kakuzu knew, whatever it is, will show itself again sooner or later.

**|-oOo-|**

The snow has yet to stop sprinkling the foggy village even as the sky darkened and brightened again the next day. The Kandori house was empty at the moment. Rihara went to meet up with his three Genin students, his wife and daughters went to town to buy ingredients for a soup. The three guests were also not present.

A sparrow took off from a tree and turned into a puff of smoke as it neared the Kandori house. The cloaked woman from yesterday returned. She looked to her left and right; yesterday, she was caught by a masked man for looking at the house longer than someone should. This time, as she set out to do her ritual, she was more cautious.

She knelt in front of the gate of Rihara's house, her breath shaking. She rested her head against the wooden surface of the gate and her hands caressed it like she would her lover.

"You should start explaining yourself," said Kakuzu's raspy voice.

The woman stood upright and braced herself to combat mode. She studied the masked man. He held a fur coat over his shoulder. "How do you know I'm coming back here?" asked the woman. It was the first time Kakuzu actually heard her voice speaking. Her voice was heavy yet soft, like the purr of a tiger.

Kakuzu shrugged. "I had a hunch that you would. Now start talking. I believe yesterday wasn't your first visit to this house. Does this house mean anything to you?"

"None of your business." She raised her hands to form a hand seal, but before she could, she was stopped by Kakuzu using his tendrils to separate her hands apart and tie them by her side. She grunted as she shifted in the coils. "What do you want from me?" she growled.

"Didn't you hear me? I want you to talk. I want you to explain to me why you keep coming here. It's that simple."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not saying anything!" Her hands glowed and buzzing sounds of electricity could be heard. In front of her face, something was taking shape. The chakra from her hands formed two lightning sparrows. Kakuzu's eyes widened in surprise; it was the same chakra formation as Nagayoshi! With a flick of her finger, the sparrows zapped towards him, to electrocute him and make him release his tendrils with pain.

Kakuzu evaded and ducked while keeping his tendrils coiled around the woman's body. He directed his other hand and shot some of his tendrils to swat the two sparrows off. However, it didn't end just yet as Kakuzu felt more light was shining behind him. He turned his head back around and a larger sparrow opened its wings, further enlarging its size.

The sparrow dived with its lightning speed to fry the masked man. Kakuzu hurriedly put his hands together to form a jutsu, but before he could change the setting of his hands, the sparrow was barraged by a hummingbird of the same size and same material. The birds shrieked as they fought and cancelling each other's charge. The wielder of the hummingbird skidded to a stop in front of Kakuzu.

"You okay, Oniisan?" Nagayoshi asked.

"I don't need your help," said Kakuzu.

"Yeah, right. You were panicking just now," Hidan jeered, standing in a fighting stance beside Nagayoshi. The seventeen-year-old turned her eyes to the opponent, who was hidden behind the dissipating lightning bolts. When the both birds disappeared, the hooded woman was visible to Nagayoshi's eyes. "Who is that?"

"How can you do that?" asked the woman, her voice was in the range between amazement and horror. "Who taught you _Raijuu no Torigoya_?"

"Is that what you call it?" Nagayoshi asked back. "Anyway, I learned it myself, okay. With some help from my friends. You got a problem with that?"

The woman did not answer, but she gritted her teeth, upset. Nagayoshi reached her back pocket to grab her baton, but Kakuzu held her wrist. He shook his head, and later hit Hidan on the back of his head for attempting an attack. He retracted his tendrils, bringing the woman closer to him and his younger companions.

"Since the kids are here, I suggest you better hurry and explain yourself," Kakuzu said. Once the hooded woman was close enough to the three of them, he released her from her bindings. The woman could have run anytime, but much to Kakuzu's surprise, she refrained from doing so.

"Why is it any different?" she asked.

Kakuzu sighed. "Because this girl," Kakuzu pat the head of his adoptive sister, "she's your daughter, Azumakoha Suzume."

And her will to run disappeared wholly. Her eyes widened, her lips quivering. The skin of her face heated up by a few degrees; warm enough to have her sweating despite the chilly winter. The heat of her face boiled her tear glands and the overflow rolled down her cheeks. She yanked her hood open, revealing her face to the young girl.

Nagayoshi gasped. It was indeed Azumakoha Suzume—her birth mother. Her hair was longer and straighter than the one in the photo. Another difference was her eyes. In the photo, her eyes showed a kind of sternness and some darkness, but here, in front of her daughter she thought she had lost to the heavens, she appeared a lot softer.

Suzume didn't waste her time and rushed to embrace Nagayoshi's head. She planted kisses on the top of her head, tears dropping to her scalp. Nagayoshi hugged back the older woman, but with slight reluctance. She did not cry; she did not say anything. She did not know how she was supposed to react. Until she suddenly remembered something…

Nagayoshi pulled herself off from Suzume's embrace. "There are so many things I want to ask, but I don't know where to start," she said.

"Great! Let's get inside and warm ourselves up! My nose is freezing!" said Hidan, although he couldn't care less about Nagayoshi's reunion with her mother.

"Not here," said Suzume. "Come with me. I have a better place to talk where no one will bother us." She smiled and led the way, pulling Nagayoshi's hand with her.

**|-oOo-|**

Hidan frowned, staring at the tree house in disbelief. He couldn't believe he followed Nagayoshi and her mother to this place. "What the fuck…?"

"I'm sorry if it's not appealing to you, but this is the only place safe enough for us to talk. This is the only place my clan doesn't know about," Suzume explained as she walked up the tree trunk to the tree house.

Nagayoshi followed Suzume up the tree. Her head entered the small wooden house first. She was amazed how the house was able to stay up there for decades, despite the growth of the tree. The inside of the tree house was empty. It seemed to have been unused for quite a long time. "What is this place?" asked Nagayoshi.

"It was your father's playhouse when he was a child. When he grew up, it became our secret meeting place. This is where we spent our time together," Suzume answered. She sat before a wall, on which there was a faint carving of a heart with faded two names in it.

"In other words, this is where you were made, Nagayoshi," Hidan jeered. He soon regretted it though. His testicles paid the price with an unannounced kick. He doubled over and whimpered in pain.

"Please ignore him," said Kakuzu. Suzume replied with a soft chuckle.

"I still can't think of a proper question," Nagayoshi said. "I don't want to flood you with the irrelevant ones."

"Then allow me," Kakuzu cut in. "Start explaining how your clan came hunting down her father. Do they know about your pregnancy? If they didn't know you had given birth, let alone knowing the child's father, how did they find out? How did they even know Rishin is the father?"

Suzume gave a shaky sigh. She probably had expected such painful questions, but she didn't seem to prepare her mentality much. "Rishin and I first fell in love in our mid-twenties. We've been teammates since our Genin days, but I guess our feelings really have spiked when we got older. By then, I was already married to my cousin. I don't have any brothers or sisters; my uncle wanted me to have a descendant with his son, Oumu. I have tried to deny my feelings for Rishin, but I couldn't. Our love was simply too strong. So once in a while, we met in secret. My clan didn't know and his family didn't know. I'm pretty sure you are aware of that by now."

Nagayoshi nodded. Not even Rihara, Rishin's twin brother, knew of his twin's secret affair. Nagayoshi always thought twins have a psychic bond unlike any other human in the world. Looks like her father severed that bond to be by Suzume's side.

"And then, one day, I found out that I was pregnant—with you—" she looked to Nagayoshi endearingly "—I knew I couldn't hide it, not from Oumu or my uncle. So I lied to them that the child was Oumu's. But I knew it was Rishin's." Suzume chuckled. "You should've seen Rishin's face when I told him I was pregnant with his child. He was so excited, but confused at the same time. But I guess, that was when we made a mistake. I trusted Rishin to let him take care of the child and I was supposed to fake I had a miscarriage. The deception failed."

"Somebody found out, wasn't it?" Kakuzu asked.

Suzume nodded. "Tsubame found out. I didn't know when or where, but as soon as I realized, I was already taken to the punishment chambers and received thirty lashes on my back while Rishin had to run away."

"Wait…they lashed you?!" Nagayoshi asked in disbelief. "That's…that's sick! I mean, you are a clan member. You're part of the family!"

"However, that is a tradition kept by the Azumakoha clan since the day it was born. It doesn't necessarily have to be lashing, any kind of punishment will do, as long as the betraying clan members learn their lesson. It doesn't happen often, though."

"But…" Nagayoshi found she could not express a better argument. She silenced, sinking into her own anger towards the tradition of the clan. Her anger dissipated when she heard Suzume giggle. The older woman reached and placed her hands on top of her daughter's. Nagayoshi's heart beat quickened at the touch.

"Your father reacted the same way when I told him about that side of our tradition," Suzume said. "I am glad you don't inherit much from my side." Then she stood, bringing Nagayoshi up to her feet as well. "I'm afraid our time is up."

Nagayoshi gaped. "What? But we've only talked for a short while!"

"I understand," Suzume replied. She caressed Nagayoshi's cheek; she bit her lower lip while doing so. It was a dream come true to touch her child's face, especially after she thought her child was dead. "Believe me when I say I have many things to ask about you too, but unfortunately, it is not possible. Ever since my 'stunts' seventeen years ago, the Azumakoha clan made curfews and several other rules. Unless there's an official mission, personally written by the Mizukage, all members of Azumakoha clan can only exit the boundaries of the island for maximum three hours. My curfew is almost up."

Nagayoshi sighed. Not even her mother's touch can cool off her anger. She never met her mother before, and now that she finally found her, her mother's clan had rules meant to separate them. Nagayoshi just could not accept that. What is so wrong with a child wanting to spend time with her mother? Nagayoshi cursed the foolish shinobi that established the clan.

"Three hours should be enough, shouldn't it?" Kakuzu said. He and Hidan, too, were already up on their feet. "Meet Nagayoshi here every day if you can. We're not in a rush, anyway. However, from now on, things can escalate into something we avoid to happen. So, to minimize risk, we'll move out from Rihara-san's house and stay in a hotel instead. That way, just in case we got busted, the Kandori family won't have to suffer."

"What?! Can it be just you and Nagayoshi that move? I like it there. Wakana's cooking is delicious," Hidan complained. Kakuzu merely glared at him in response.

Nagayoshi held a fist in front of her. "Alright. Let's do this." She then turned to Suzume, just as Kakuzu and Hidan hopped off from tree house. "I…" she stammered, "is it okay if I call you 'Okaasan'? Or should I call you 'Okaachan'? 'Okaasama'? 'Haha-ue'?" Nagayoshi blushed. All terms mean the same, but she thought Suzume should be treated with more respect. She is her mother, after all. Her mind then brought her to nostalgia for a moment. When she was first adopted by Kakuzu, she also suggested various ways of calling Kakuzu, and they agreed on 'Oniisan'.

Nagayoshi encouraged herself to look at her mother in the eyes, and was surprised that her face was as red as hers. Suzume giggled and replied, "Okaasan is fine, Nagayoshi."

Nagayoshi beamed and nodded. She shifted awkwardly; her arms made a movement to the front, but she quickly pulled them back. She fought back her hesitance and inched forward to give Suzume an awkward hug. She almost gasped when Suzume returned her hug with a tighter one. They held each other long. And the longer they hold each other, the harder it became to let go. Nagayoshi, especially, found herself too comfortable in Suzume's arms. Sure, they weren't as big, muscular, and warm as Kisame's or Kakuzu's arms. Suzume's arms brought her the kind of comfort unfamiliar to her. She wondered if this was what a mother's love felt like.

"I'm freezin' right here!" Hidan shouted from below. His loud voice snapped the mother and daughter from their love trance. Nagayoshi wanted to hit Hidan on the nose and went back to her mother, if it were not for Suzume's curfew.

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow, my child," Suzume said with her soft, alto voice. "Now go."

Nagayoshi hesitantly turned around towards the tree house's exit. A part of her didn't want to leave, but another part of her said she must. "See you, Okaasan." And the girl hopped off. From the tree house, Suzume could hear Hidan rambling with his loud voice. She waited for them until she could neither see them nor hear them, then left.

Azumakoha Suzume had never felt this happy since she gave birth. On her way home, her joy pushed her tears out of their glands.

* * *

**asdfghjkl guys, I'm so sorry! ;A; I've started writing 2/3 of this chapter since mid-October or so, but fifth semester is a heartless bastard. I had 2 class plays and numerous other assignments. Not only that, Transformers Prime, Transformers Rescue Bots, Tron Uprising, Ben 10 Omniverse, Sherlock, and last season of Merlin all stole my attention from the Naruto fandom. My mind was a complete chaos between work stress and excessive fangirling!**

**And now since I've made it this far, I might as well announce that I decided to end the series as soon as this arc finishes. Because after this, we will return to canon timeline, which means Kakuzu and Hidan are going to be dead. I want to reserve that for an entirely new fic specially for that arc. Hope you guys are okay with that.**

**Translation:  
****_Raijuu no Torigoya:_**** "Raijuu's Aviary" (Raijuu is a Japanese mythical beast whose body is made of lightning, companion of the lightning god.)**


	32. To Be Together

**Chapter 32: To Be Together**

* * *

There was not a second wasted in the short three hours. For the last three days, Suzume and Nagayoshi had been meeting at the tree house. Each day, they came at a different time. It was a plan formulated by Kakuzu in order to minimize suspicion from the strict clan, Azumakoha. Kakuzu speculated if Suzume kept going to the mainland at the same time every day, it will draw out suspicion from at least one of her relatives. By leaving at different hours, the pattern will seem random to the rest of the Azumakoha clan. The plan worked flawlessly for those three days. No member of Azumakoha clan questioned the activities done by Suzume.

The mother and daughter shared numerous things, although Nagayoshi was the one who did most of the talking. Suzume shared about her childhood and the times she spent with Rishin. Nagayoshi shared about her journey, of where she grew, when Kakuzu adopted her, and the many events following thereafter. It was inevitable that they arrive to the topic of Nagayoshi's romance. It was an embarrassing topic for Nagayoshi, but Suzume giggled all the time and pushed her to spill some more.

Suzume sighed. "I am glad you live a better life than I do, Nagayoshi," she said. "Even though you don't have parents to begin with, but you were raised by good people, even if they are criminals before the eyes of the law."

"That's strange. I thought a good life would be raised by caring parents, in a nice neighborhood, in a peaceful place," Nagayoshi commented.

Suzume smiled softly. "That would be lovelier, but the concept of good life is actually a matter of perspective. Not to mention being ninjas. There is just no way we can live a life so peaceful like that. We are bound to get hurt, to get a scar or two. But ask yourself: are you happy with the way things are now?"

Nagayoshi paused and cupped her chin as she contemplated on Suzume's philosophical question. "I…I guess so. Yes. Although I wish some people would come back from the dead." At which point, she remembered those who have fallen. She remembered her first two siblings, Akira and Hitsuji, then Hokko, Erai, and Rishin.

Suzume's eyes drooped, sharing the sentiments of her daughter. "I know, darling. There are people whom I wish never died too." The two sat in silence. A rush of wind brought the chilly air into the tree house, amplifying the gloomy aura emitted by them. After a few moments, Suzume stood up.

Their least favorite time had arrived.

"I must go," Suzume said.

Nagayoshi sighed; she didn't hide her disappointment that they had to part again. Without a word, she stood up and headed to the tree house's exit after Suzume. She yelped when Suzume suddenly pushed her back and pinned her to the floor. "Okaasan! What's the matter?" Nagayoshi squeaked.

"Ssh!" Suzume placed her hand on top of Nagayoshi's mouth. Her eyes turned sharp as she eyed something or someone outside the tree house. Nagayoshi could only stare wide-eyed at her mother. At long last, the hand was removed.

"My second cousin just passed by," Suzume explained before Nagayoshi had the chance to repeat her question. "We wouldn't want him to discover this tree house is used, would we?"

"You mean…nobody literally comes to this tree house?"

"Children are scared of this tree house. They said they saw ghosts roaming in and out of the tree house," Suzume explained, chuckling at the end. "But the 'ghosts' are really just me playing tricks on them. I don't want anybody else to touch this place."

"Why hasn't the Mizukage done anything about the ghosts?" Nagayoshi asked, rising up from being flat on the floor.

"The Mizukage dismissed it as an urban legend not worth to investigate further." Suzume winked and laughed. She climbed down the tree house, still laughing at her tricks.

Nagayoshi half-gaped, becoming slow to follow her mother down the tree house. "And here I thought I got my mischievous side from Otousan."

Suzume waited until Nagayoshi set her feet on the snowy ground. When Nagayoshi turned to her, she put her hood on. She smiled to her daughter, but the smile bore sadness. "I'll see you again tomorrow, sweetheart."

Nagayoshi nodded and she turned as Suzume departed. The girl didn't want to see her mother leave. It hurt her when she did. Sourly, she walked back to the inn she and her two male companions stayed.

**|-oOo-|**

"I'm back," Nagayoshi said with minimal energy.

"How was it?" asked Kakuzu, his eyes were not removed from his book, this time about a deformed man who was raised by a corrupt monk and fell in love with a street artist of a minor ethnicity.

"Eh, it was good," answered Nagayoshi before flopping into the bed. She buried her face into the pillow and didn't say anything from then on. The silence went for over an hour, at which point, causing discomfort to Kakuzu's reading time. Although he had been spending the last three hours in silence, it was different. As the man who lived with Nagayoshi the longest, he was able to detect any distress coming from the girl.

This was a distress for him.

"You found your mother, you talked with her, you two seem to get along just well. What's bothering you?" Kakuzu asked.

A muffled grumble came from the pillow, but that was all. No further response was given to the unmasked shinobi. This made him sigh.

"I wasn't being insensitive, you know. I know you are sort of depressed."

Nagayoshi's head flipped to the side, but she wasn't facing her adoptive brother. "Then why did you ask? If you know, then shut up!"

"But wouldn't it be better if you speak out your mind? You've been acting like this ever since we began this plan of letting you speak with your mother. It's probably something I can't relate to, but if you don't tell me, how could I understand?" said Kakuzu.

There was no immediate answer. There was, however, sniffles. Suddenly, she rolled off her bed and rushed to Kakuzu's side, cuddling him and burying her face into his chest. She whimpered and her legs folded close to her chest. Kakuzu put his arm around her shoulders. Nagayoshi's crying became more and more apparent.

"I can't take this, Oniisan," she sobbed. "I want to stay with her longer. Three hours are not enough!"

"But she'll be in trouble if she passed her curfew. You might not be able to see her again if that's the case," Kakuzu answered calmly.

"I know but…it's so unfair. She's my mother! She should have the right to see her daughter anytime she wants!" Nagayoshi clenched her fists, pulling Kakuzu's black sweater. Then her fists loosened and she knelt to look at Kakuzu on the face. "Oniisan, can we bring her to Akatsuki?"

Kakuzu did a double take, his brain tried reprocessing and confirming what she just said. "What?!" he exclaimed. "We can't take her to Akatsuki! It's not that simple!"

"Is it because she's not a powerful shinobi and doesn't have a significant criminal record?" Nagayoshi asked again.

"That's one thing, but there are other issues as well…"

"I'm not a powerful shinobi! I'm also not an S-ranked criminal like you or the others! Why am I allowed into the base? Why am I allowed to mingle among you guys?" the teenager protested. Kakuzu knew he was going to go on an argument again. A heavy one, this time.

"I personally asked Pain-sama to let me take you in—"

"Then why can't Okaasan get the same privilege?"

"But it was not without a price!" he finished with a bellow. "I told him I would raise you into a formidable shinobi deserving a seat in Akatsuki. _That_ is why you are allowed to live in the base. You are not only my subordinate, you are also my successor."

With that, the room went horribly silent again. Kakuzu found himself being stared by Nagayoshi. Her tears seemed to have stopped flowing as her eyes widened in shock. Then her eyebrows furrowed again and she gritted her teeth. Kakuzu could see from her face that she was formulating a counter-argument. Before she could speak, Kakuzu stole the start.

"Do you know why most, if not, all of Akatsuki's members are S-ranked criminals that are no longer affiliated with their village? It's not because it wants to be the ultimate organization of evil, but because high-ranking criminals are willing to do work that village-affiliated ninjas won't dare to do, and with so little payment. These criminals have discarded the shinobi moral values they learned as students of the academy. They are prepared to sacrifice their honor to get the work done. The members of Akatsuki are fallen angels, mutating into a monster with no mercy." Kakuzu landed a hand on Nagayoshi's head. There was a bitter smile on his face. "I'm raising you into a monster, Nagayoshi…"

Nagayoshi grabbed Kakuzu's hand that was on her head and held it. Her head hung low and her back was shaking. "Oniisan, don't say that. You're not…you're not a monster."

"To you, I am not, because you are used to the way of the monsters. But how about your mother? Her clan might be a monster clan, but she is not a monster, and she shouldn't be turned into one, don't you agree?"

Nagayoshi nodded.

"I wish I can help you more than this," Kakuzu muttered. He returned to his book while Nagayoshi disposed of her remaining tears. The masked shinobi expected his adoptive sister to leave once she finished crying her heart out, but minutes passed and she was still clinging beside him. Her grip on his shirt loosened, though. Marking a new paragraph with his thumb, Kakuzu peeked to his side. His eyes widened at the sight of his sister falling asleep. He sighed and shifted his arm, adjusting his position.

His mind couldn't focus on the book. He needed to do something, somehow…

**|-oOo-|**

The day's meeting schedule was after sundown. Nagayoshi used her time to buy some apples and a few cupped noodles for Kakuzu—who was too stingy to buy a proper meal. Before buying supplies, Nagayoshi made some time to visit her uncle's family. Most of her time was spent entertaining her chatty cousins. It was only when Rihara told his daughters to help their mother did he get the chance to speak with his niece. Nagayoshi told her the brief version of her experience talking with her birth mother.

Rihara smiled. "I'm glad your mother isn't like how I pictured when I heard she was from the Azumakoha clan. If only I can meet her too…" Rihara said. There was a slight look of sadness on him. "But that doesn't mean you must let your guard down, Nagayoshi. On the contrary, you have to kick it up a notch. Your brother's plan is brilliant, but it's not fool-proof—I'm sure he knows that. Sooner or later, someone from the clan will find out."

Nagayoshi sighed. Her knuckles tightened. _Yes, I know that already!_ she growled inside her head. Then she relaxed and slumped on the small table bridging her and Rihara. "I don't know what to do, Rihara-san," she said, her voice mumbled. "I can only stay until winter's over. After that, I'll have to return to normal routine again."

"Well, that is a problem. Have you discussed on a solution with your brother?"

"Yep. Result's negative."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Nagayoshi sighed and she smiled wryly. "I guess this really means we are not meant to be together, then."

"Don't say something like that, Nagayoshi. Maybe you two can't be together, but you are fated to meet and to know each other. To know that you love each other," said Rihara. He put his hand on hers to comfort his niece.

The girl suddenly chuckled. "That sounds like something from a teenage romance novel. Ironically, my romance is a lot less complicated than my family."

Rihara chuckled along. "So…what do the teenagers do in those novels? How do they deal with their problem, if the events following are not in favor of their love life?"

"What do they do? They suck it up and move on…but that's easier said than done."

"Well, you can start trying. Here, I'll do you a favor. When winter's over and you have to return, I'll keep in contact with your mother. I'll send her letters for you and you can send your letters for her through me," said Rihara.

Nagayoshi sat straight up, her eyes widened at Rihara's generous offer. Within a split second, she dashed around the table to thank her uncle with a squeeze from her arms.

**|-oOo-|**

The market was rather busy. Nagayoshi heard from some mothers and children speaking about some sort of celebration. It was rather similar with a winter festival in Kumo. She remembered being invited by Masao to join a dinner in his house, but she couldn't, saying she went out of town to meet her distant relatives. In reality, Kakuzu took her out of town to further train her skills without causing disturbance to the celebrating public.

She had bought her apple supply for three days as well as Kakuzu's supply of cupped noodles. The apples made it too heavy for plastic bags and could easily rip them, so Nagayoshi had to use handle-less paper bags and carry them in front of her. Her grocery made it hard for her to look at what her foot was stepping on.

As a result of which, Nagayoshi failed to dodge a couple of running children on her left. One of the children jerked her to the side. With a little bit of footwork, Nagayoshi managed to maintain her footing, until an adult bumped her from behind and caused her and her groceries to fall onto the snowy road.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" bellowed a high-pitched voice of a woman. Nagayoshi, who quickly tried to gather her fallen groceries, wanted to retort at the woman, but another feminine voice interrupted.

"Ama-neesama, don't be so rude!" the other voice scolded. This one sounded familiar. The speaker knelt before Nagayoshi as the latter lifted her head up to confirm her guess. Her ears weren't wrong; it was Suzume.

The two looked at each other for a moment before the older of the two picked up the fallen goods and placed them inside the paper bag. Nagayoshi ended up doing nothing except standing up as Suzume finished placing everything. She handed the young shinobi her groceries, smiling warmly. "Please be careful next time," she said.

"Hurry up, Suzume!" the other woman bellowed, turning her back on Nagayoshi.

"I'm coming," Suzume said. She shot a glance at Nagayoshi. A glance of regret. And she left with her sister, not looking back.

Watching them as they disappear into the crowd, Nagayoshi clenched her fingers on the paper bag, scrunching it. Her teeth were gritting. She saw the regret in Suzume's quick glance.

The night's meeting was a no-go.

**|-oOo-|**

Suzume pulled the hairbrush two more times before stopping and putting it on her dressing table. She looked into the mirror and smiled with a hint of sadness. She had to apologize to Nagayoshi. What happened the day before was uncalled for. Her older sister, Amasagi, suddenly asked her to accompany her to the marketplace. Suzume tried refusing but her sister was a persistent individual. She sighed and stood, prepared to leave to meet her daughter again. At the same time, the door was opened.

"Uncle?" Suzume asked, seeing the leader of the clan—an elderly male with a straight back and arms exposed enough to show his muscles—entered her room without knocking first. Behind him, five other clan members followed. One of them was her older sister. Suzume gulped. She didn't need to be a psychic to know what was inside their minds.

"Seize her," the elderly man commanded. Immediately, two large men charged and grabbed Suzume by her arms. Suzume protested and squirmed but to no avail. The men were physically much stronger than her and they easily overpowered her.

The air in Azumakoha Island was tense…

* * *

**Salutations, faithful readers! I'm sorry for not updating for so long and I reckon you know why because it's the same reason as most of my absence before. And, man, do things are getting intense in here! I hope I can finish the next chapter soon, but I can't really promise that. ;w;**

**And if it was possible, I want Kaida Yuki to provide the Japanese voice of Nagayoshi~**


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